


-4-2-nat0-(Fortunato) REDUX

by The_Good_Wario



Series: Tales of Mystery and Invention [3]
Category: Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types, Rockman | Mega Man Classic
Genre: Gen, Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2019-08-21 14:20:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 50,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16578164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Good_Wario/pseuds/The_Good_Wario
Summary: On a clichéd dark and stormy night, Bass finds a mysterious robot in the ruins of an abandoned mansion. He takes him to Dr. Wily and ends up working with Mega Man and Roll to repair and discover who this robot is. Life finds a new Rhythm in this mysterious tale.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of the original Fortunato story that I wrote. Several details have been changed for the purposes of improving the narrative. I hope you enjoy the changes.

“He's just resting. Waiting for a new life to come”  
-Henry Frankenstein _Frankenstein 1931  
  
_On the outskirts of a glistening metropolis there laid an abandoned mansion. The building’s purpose died long ago and has disappeared from the contemporary memories of the people in the city. Those who did care to remember the building have visited the ruin, and then the chill of a spirit that haunted the place. No one knew who that ghost was, but on a clichéd dark and stormy night, the ghost would return to the land of the living as lightning struck the highest steeple of the building.  
  
***CRASH!***  
  
_Ahh!  
  
_-SYSTEM CHARGING [***0000000] 27%-  
  
_Wha...what's happening to me?  
  
-_SYSTEM CHARGING [****000000] 42%-  
  
_I f-feel as if I have been in a deep sleep…or even a c-coma…_  
  
-SYSTEM CHARGING [******0000] 64%-  
  
_W-Where am I? I-I feel… cold_  
  
-SYSTEM CHARGING [********00] 84%-  
  
_H-How did I get here?_  
  
-SYSTEM CHARGING [**********] 96%-  
//PREPARING DIAGNOSTICS—{ASSESSMENT NO. 3}  
INTERNAL_CIRCUITRY=NORMAL  
MOTOR_FUNCTIONS=NORMAL  
WEAPON_CAPABILITIES=NORMAL  
MEMORY=ERROR:CORRUPTION_DELETE_MEMORY_Y/N?  
  
_W-what? No! Don’t delete my m-memories!!!_  
  
MEMORY_RETAINED  
GENERAL_STATUS:_OPERABLE  
WELCOME_BACK_RHYTHM  
  
_R-Rhythm? Is that my name? A-Am I Rhythm?_  
  
In a strange and cramped alcove, a ruined robot opened his eyes for the first time in years. He noticed that he was lying on a pile of stone rubble, and that water was pooling on the ground. To the left of him, the robot noticed that his left arm had detached from his body and fallen onto the floor. His arm socket had loose wires sticking out and were lying on top of a copper pipe.  
  
-SYSTEM CHARGED-DISCONNECT_FROM_POWER-  
  
Rhythm delicately removed the wires from the pipe and then grabbed his detached arm with his good one. He began rearranging the wires and jury rigged the arm back to his torso.  
  
_I-I got power… I’ve my arm reattached… w-what do I do now? H-how do I get out of this p-place?  
  
_ENGAGING_WEAPON_MODE_TEST  
  
_W-weapon Mode?_  
  
He looked down at his right arm and noticed that his hand had transformed into cannon-like apparatus.  
  
_H-How do I operate this?_  
  
With the weapon engaged, Rhythm noticed that it felt like his right hand was still there, so he started making gestures with his hand in an effort to activate the weapon. He did HAND_GUN, ROCK_FAN, and VULGAR_GESTURE (at least that's what the programing told him) without any results.  
  
He then quickly made a fist and a burst of energy shot out of the cannon, cracking the brick wall that laid in front of him.  
  
QUICK_SHOT  
  
_M-maybe if I closed my fist for longer..._  
  
Rhythm did so, and a sound of charging power began to increase in volume. The robot let go, and a huge burst of energy launched from the weapon. A shockwave reverberated from the chamber, causing the brick wall to explode into dust.  
  
Rhythm crawled out of the hole he made and found himself in the ruins of a basement. It was incredibly damp, with water leaking from the ceiling. The smell of rotting wood dominated his senses. Huge wine barrels (and their remains) were scattered across the floor. There were also pieces of broken glass and torn metal strewn about the floor. A selection of papers with blotted text were hanging from the intact barrels and the walls. One of the papers was a poster, which read “M-dern -ansion Sc-ence C-nvention” with the rest of the words being torn or damaged beyond recognition.  
  
Unable to keep his balance, he leaned against the wall and sat on the debris covered floor. As he grasped his chest, he noticed a large gem that was implanted into the center of an X that was part of his ruined armor. He also felt the jagged edges that were a result of the device being shattered.  
  
He then tried to call out for help, but as he tried to speak, all that came out of his mouth was a garbled mess of static.  
  
_N-no…I can’t speak.  
  
_“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!”  
  
Rhythm turned to the sound of the voice and discovered that there was another person was inside the ruined basement. It looked like a man to Rhythm, but the figure had large shoulder pads and fins on the side of his head, making him look like a mixture between a cobra and a football player. As the figure got closer, the details became more clear. Eyes red as a ruby, an emblem on his chest the color of an amethyst, and a gem shaped like a cross the color of a sapphire. The body was mainly black, but there were accents of yellow and white.  
  
“Who are you?” The figure asked, glaring at Rhythm with an unimpressed frown.  
  
Rhythm tried to speak again, and he could only emit the broken cacophony he made before.  
  
“Huh, can’t talk eh?”  
  
Rhythm shook his head.  
  
“Hmm, I see…where the hell did you come from?”  
  
Rhythm pointed at the hole in the wall that he made, and the figure in black looked inside the hole.  
  
The black robot just stared at Rhythm, unimpressed.  
  
Rhythm hung his head, and then suddenly lost his balance which caused him to collapse on the figure.  
  
“EASY! EASY!” The black figure complained as he caught Rhythm. He looked over the robot and examined his condition “You're a mess… you look like broken mannequin…a hopeless case…I should just put you out of your misery…”  
  
The black figure engaged an arm cannon, revealing to Rhythm that this figure was a robot too. Rhythm shook and rattled in the black robot’s arms. He wanted to scream, but it was like he had no mouth. With a cold stare, the black robot charged his weapon and pointed it at Rhythm’s face…but he hesitated, noticing that one of his pale blue eyes was shedding a single tear.  
  
The black robot relented and disengaged his canon with a sigh.  
  
“I had to be won over by freakin puppy dog eyes…” The robot complained "I can't kill you…but I just can’t leave you here… you’re too weak to fend for yourself.”  
  
Rhythm hung his head and frowned.  
  
“Dr. Dumbass is probably going to hate me for this…” The robot remarked “Come with me, I’m gonna take you to my lab and see if we can fix you up? Alright?”

  
Rhythm smiled weakly, and the two began walking through the ruined basement. As they exited, the black robot picked up a broken plank of wood and handed it to Rhythm.  
  
“Here, use this as a cane.”  
  
Rhythm took the warped stick, and carefully made his way to the stairs with the other robot. As the two robots entered the first floor, Rhythm immediately noticed the remains of a grand staircase. Lightning strikes shone through the cavities of the windows, revealing the rubble and ruin that was all over the floor.  
  
“I come here to be alone sometimes and get away from my creator” The black robot spoke “Dr. Dumbass easily gets on my nerves and I just leave.”  
  
The two robots exited through the ruined front door, and Rhythm noticed a black muscle car parked outside.  
  
“Yeah, that's my car” The robot spoke as he opened the back seat door. “I hope you like it. I’ve modified it for current travel situations. I suggest lying down on your back due to how fragile you are.”  
  
Rhythm nodded and got into car and gently laid down on the leather seats. The black robot started the engine, and an electric hum resonated through the vehicle as the tires turned outwards and the car quickly lifted into the air. The two remained silent as they traveled, the rain pelting hard on the windshield and roofs. Rhythm closed his eyes, trying to make himself comfortable in the backseat. His sensors were all freaking out as just about every part of his system was damaged in some way.  
  
About 20 minutes passed until the car began to descend. Rhythm looked out the window and saw a large fortress-like building. Front and center was a giant symbol that was hard to make out in the rain.  
  
“My creator is not known for his subtleties.”  
  
The storm had grown more intense as the car parked in front of the structure. The black robot told Rhythm to stay in the car as he exited the vehicle and approached the large metal door to press a button that activated an intercom.  
  
“Look who’s finally back.” The voice of an old man angrily replied.  
  
“Yes doctor, I’m back.”  
  
"Where the hell have you been?!”  
  
“…Out.”  
  
“ _Out_ he says. Well I understand that you have been out, but you haven't been _out_ for as long as you used to have been. Usually you disappear for a month or two before crawling to my doorstep and demanding a repair from me. Did you get your ass kicked sooner than usual?”  
  
The black robot rolled his eyes as he began to reply “No, it’s not that…I found a strange robot in the basement of an abandoned mansion.”  
  
A moment of silence dominated the intercom “ What? A strange robot? What’s this robot’s name? Why the hell did you bring it here?”  
  
“I DON’T KNOW THE ROBOTS’S NAME. He was badly damaged when I found him and he can't speak due to his condition. I brought him here because…”  
  
Another moment of silence dominated the intercom.  
  
“Well Bass?”  
  
“…I brought him here because I thought he could be useful to us.”  
  
“Bring the robot in in then, neither you nor I have anything better to do…”

The black robot hung up the intercom and opened the front door go grab an umbrella before returning to the car to retrieve Rhythm. The frail robot made his way up the heavy steps and inside the entry hall. The interior of the fortress was cramped with many pipes, wires, and other electrical equipment strewn all over the floor.

“Pardon my creator's mess. He suffered a massive loss a couple of weeks ago, but to be honest it’s not that different than usual.”  
  
The black robot tossed the broken piece of wood away and gave Rhythm the umbrella to use as the cane. The two walked through the halls of the fortress before approaching an open door. Inside was a balding man, wearing a white lab coat and a red tie and was sitting on a cheap leather office chair. In the center of the room was operating table, and scattered about room were a number of rolling tool chests with parts protruding from the unclosed shelves. In the man's hand was a strange box with wires protruding from it. Rhythm recognized that it was a replacement voice box.  
  
“So you’re the robot…” The man spoke to Rhythm before turning to the other robot “Lay him down on the table so I can install the voice box.”  
  
Bass grumbled as he did so, and the balding man opened up the robot's chest while the black robot hovered over the scientist’s shoulder.  
  
“…Could you make yourself useful for once and get me the soldering iron?”  
  
The black robot groaned as he walked off for a moment and returned with the requested device. The scientist then opened Rhythm’s chest and began to work.  
  
“Eh?” The scientist asked “What in the world?”  
  
Inside Rhythm’s body was a collection of tangled wires, mangled parts, and dangling components hanging from inside the endoskeleton.  
  
“Fan-freaking-tastic…” The scientist complained “There’s no way to install the voice box without a complete overhaul of the system…”  
  
The black robot thought for a moment and then suddenly ran off in a hurry to somewhere else within the fortress.  
  
“HEY! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING?!”  
  
“I’m improvising, alright?!”  
  
The robot returned with a laptop and a USB cable that was male on both ends.  
  
“So what’s ya brilliant idea you righteous bot?”  
  
“I’m gonna attach your laptop to the robot to see if he can talk _that_ way.”  
  
“My laptop?!”  
  
The robot groaned as he plugged one end of the USB cable into the robot and the other into the computer. With the press of a few buttons, he turned on a software program.  
  
-DEAF_ROBOT_SPEAKER-  
Version1.2  
CONNECTING...  
  
“This will allow us to 'hear' you and look up your identification” The black robot explained to Rhythm “Your thoughts will appear on the computer screen. Think 'Yes' if you understand what I’m saying.”  
  
_Yes  
_  
“-YES” appeared on the laptop screen.  
  
“Alright then,” The black robot asked “what is your name?”  
  
_Rhythm, I think.  
_  
The robot smiled “Nice to know you Rhythm, Who is your creator?”  
  
_I-I….don’t remember.  
_  
“Where did he find you?” the scientist asked.  
  
_Your creation f-found me walled up in an alcove. I was able to get out by using my arm cannon.  
_  
“Why were you not able to get out before?” the scientist also asked.  
  
_I-I don’t know, but I think that the l-lightning storm hit the building intensely enough for p-power to run through the pipes and come in contact with wires that were p-protruding from my left arm socket.  
_  
The black robot rubbed his chin “Interesting How did you end up in the alcove?”  
  
_I-I don’t know… my memory is…f-fuzzy.  
_  
Suddenly, the computer made a noise and information about Rhythm appeared on the laptop screen.  
  
INFORMATION  
-GIVEN NAME:RHYTHM  
-PROJECT NAME:-4-2-nat0-  
-CREATOR: [CORRUPTED]  
-ACTIVATION_DATE: [CORRUPTED]  
-ABILITIES:  
*EMOTION  
*REASON  
*LOGIC  
*INDEPENDENT_THOUGHT  
*PREPROGRAMED_INTELLIGENCE  
*ARM_CANNON  
*COPY_ABILITIES  
*INCREASED_STRENGTH  
*CREATIVITY-[BETA]  
*IMAGINATION-[BETA]  
*LOVE-[BETA]  
*SYMPATHY-[BETA]  
ERRORS:  
-MEMORY_CORRUPTED-[UN-DELETABLE]  
-POWER_CAPACITY_WEAKENED  
  
“Well doc,” The black robot began “What is your disgraced professional opinion?”  
  
“On Rhythm or your remarks?” The scientist retorted “Well in regards to Rhythm, I don't think that I'll be able to solve this conundrum on my own, think that I'll need the help of…”  
  
Silence filled the room as the scientist paused, which caused Rhythm to shake a little.  
  
_I-It’s q-quiet... t-too quiet.  
  
_INDEPENDENT_ERROR  
-MENTAL_STATE_DROPPING  
  
_H-hurry. H-help me! S-someone speak to me! I-I need to hear s-something! PLEASE! A-ANYONE! I'VE BEEN IN S-SILENCE FOR SO LONG! DON'T LET ME DIE IN THE S-SILENCE!!  
  
_As Rhythm cried out in fear through the laptop, a loud alert noise came from the laptop.  
  
-WARNING! ENERGY DEPLETING RAPIDLY! UNKNOWN ERROR!  
  
“What the hell?!” The black robot shouted as he rushed to the laptop.  
  
Rhythm slowly calmed down upon hearing a voice.  
  
_Don't leave me in silence…  
  
_The scientist then looked over the computer and saw a connection to the decibels that Rhythm detected and the power strain that Rhythm made.  
  
“What is it doc?” The black robot asked.  
  
“It seems that when this robot hears silence, it uses up his power supply in desperation for a voice or a sign of life” The scientist hypothesized “Forgive me Rhythm, for I have never encountered a robot with a condition such as yours.”  
  
The black robot suddenly rushed out of the room again”  
  
“WHERE ARE YOU GOING NOW?”  
  
“I have an idea!”

“WELL DON’T STEAL ANY MORE OF MY STUFF YOU PUNK!!!”  
  
Rhythm could hear the rustling of parts from a room in the distance until the robot returned with a milk crate with objects inside.  
  
“A Walkman?" The scientist asked “What in the world did you get a Walkman for?”  
  
“It’s a way of helping Rhythm!” The robot snapped “If he keeps hearing some sort of noise, he won't lose his power.”  
  
The black robot attached a pair of cheap headphones to the player and then placed them over the ears of Rhythm and pressed play.  
  
“ _Hello darkness, my old friend  
__I've come to talk with you again”_  
  
The black robot stopped the song as heard the lyrics“Uh…let me get a different tape.”  
  
The black robot looked through the milk crate to find a different tape. In the meantime, Rhythm struck up a conversation with the scientist.  
  
_Sir?  
  
_“What it is it Rhythm?” The scientist replied with disinterest.  
  
_I would like to say that your c-creation is one of the most b-benevolent robots I have ever met...at least when it comes to my s-shattered memory.  
  
_The scientist turned to Rhythm in confusion.  
  
“…Thank you, but I must say that no one else sees him like you apparently do.”  
  
_H-Huh? How come?_  
  
“To be perfectly honest, my creations and I are known for being… less than helpful.”  
  
_If you do not wish to t-talk about that, we don’t need to._  
  
The scientist smiled “You are very wise”  
  
_A-am I? If I was truly, wise I w-wouldn’t have ended up in that alcove in that m-mansion. Who knows how many years that l-lightning had struck the pipes of that lonely prison and taunted me with t-temporary life. I'm glad that tonight I had the chance be reborn, like a p-phoenix from the ashes._  
  
“Taunted you with temporary life?”  
  
_This is not the first time I have been r-reactivated with lightning, but this time I was able to escape from my c-containment  
  
_“A-HA!” the black robot exclaimed “This should work, it’s an audiobook.”  
  
The robot put the tape into the Walkman and pressed play.  
  
_“The Cask of Amontillado  
  
By Edgar Allan Poe  
  
Read by Eric Allan  
  
THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.”  
_  
The black robot pressed stop on the tape upon seeing Rhythm smile. “Alright then, I think that Rhythm here should rest and recharge. I'll bring him to my room and leave the window open so he can hear the rain.”  
  
_That will be f-fine._  
  
“Alright then Rhythm” the scientist spoke “You will be staying here for a while so we can repair you. Tomorrow I'll contact some people to see if I can get some assistance. Take the laptop with you until we can find something else for you to speak with.”  
  
Rhythm nodded and took the laptop in his hands as the black robot led Rhythm to his dark bedchamber.  
  
“Considering your delicacy, you shouldn’t sleep on anything hard. Sleep on my bed tonight.”  
  
_You don't mind?  
  
_“I don’t mind” The black robot replied as he opened his bedroom window “I’ve slept in worse conditions anyway/”  
  
The black robot then took a power cable that was attached to the backboard of the bed and connected it to Rhythm.  
  
“Sleep well Rhythm” the robot spoke as he sat in an office chair.  
  
_Thank you, and s-sweet dreams._  
  
“Dreams?” The robot asked “Since when do robots have dreams?”  
  
_I had d-dreams a long time ago, but I do not r-remember when or what they c-contained._  
  
Rhythm then closed his eyes and began a sleep mode. The black robot just stared at the strange robot, and like a raven he watched ever so diligently.  
  
_Excuse me sir, but I didn’t catch your name nor that of your creator’s… what is your name?  
  
_The robot drew a heavy sigh “My name is Bass, and my creator is Dr. Wily.”  
  
Rhythm smiled as he wrapped himself up in the soft black blanket that was on the bed.  
  
_I’m glad to have met you two… a son and his father, a good scientist and his benevolent creation.  
_

As Rhythm fell asleep, Bass sighed as he left the bedchamber and back to the dark truth that had hidden away from this innocent robot.


	2. Chapter 2

**-Chapter 2-  
  
**“Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today”  
-James Dean  
  
 _“Son?”  
  
_ _Yes dad?  
  
_ _“You say that you love me. Do you say that as if you are a boyfriend to a girlfriend? A husband to a wife? Or a child to a parent?”  
  
_ _I say it as a child to a parent.  
  
“Son, you do know that your birth is not like that of a human's, correct?”  
  
I do know that father.  
  
“That's a good son. You are my son, and you will be the first robot to be able to love.”  
_

_Daddy…  
  
“Yes my son?”  
  
What exactly is love?  
  
“…Love is something that I wish that I could feel and not only define. The love that I have programed in to you is to be the happiness of another making you happy and the sadness of another making you sad. Love can be lost however. If one does not love you anymore and shows it, you will start to lose the love that you have for that person.”  
_

_What if I still love someone if they don't love me?_  
  
“ _That is when it gets complicated. Your love is in the rawest form, a beta program and not fully known.”_  
  
_Is that why my weaponry and physical strength are at a bare minimum?_  
  
“ _Yes. You’re weapons are second to your mentalities so I can test what I have made for you. Your computing has been made to focus on the beta programing rather than the tried and true software that has already been perfected.”_  
  
_Okie…When will you show me the city?_  
  
_“I’ll show you the city very soon. Now, just rest.”_  
  
_Could I read a book first?_  
  
_“...Sure, what would you like to read?”_  
  
_Um… I’d like to read the book you were reading earlier._  
  
“ _It isn't a book of one story. It contains many tales.”_  
  
_I'll read one of the stories then._  
  
“ _Here you are.”_  
  
The Tell-Tale Heart _...a love story I should think.  
_  
-[+]-  
  
The rain continued into the morning as Dr. Wily nervously paced in his bedroom in order to gather up the courage to make a phone call. During the night, Wily had gone through his parts storage and discovered that he didn't have enough to repair Rhythm as best as he could. All of the parts providers he used to call were either not picking up or had been arrested within the past few months. This last call that he was about to make would either make or break the chances of fixing the frail robot. With a deep breath, he pressed the contact on his phone and the call connected.  
  
“This is the residence of Dr. Light” A boyish voice spoke on Wily’s phone “He's not here at the moment, how may I help you?”  
  
Dr. Wily sighed as he began to speak “Mega Man? Is that you?”  
  
Silence momentarily dominated the line before the speaker replied “Dr. Wily?!”  
  
“Yes, it's Dr. Wily…”  
  
“WHY THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING US? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR DAMN MIND?!”

“…I was hoping to talk to Dr. Light…” Wily meekly replied.  
  
Mega Man groaned “He’s out of town right now, he probably will be gone for the next few days…he’s handling the affairs of one of his protégés who passed away recently.”  
  
Dr. Wily was stunned at this revelation “…My sincerest sympathies… who died?”  
  
“Doctor Light didn’t tell me her name, but she was killed during a Sniper Joe assault of some kind” Mega Man responded bitterly “So you can understand why I’m in such a great mood upon hearing your voice…”  
  
“My sincerest sympathies” Wily replied in earnest.  
  
“So doctor, why did you call this place?”  
  
Wily took a deep breath “I need to ask for a favor.”

“A favor?!” Mega Man replied in disbelief “A FAVOR?! After all you’ve done to me and my family? Give me one reason why I should come to your help! GIVE ME ONE REASON WHY I SHOULD TRUST YOU!”  
  
Wily drew a heavy sigh “…I can’t. I just can’t give you a reason for you to trust me. There's nothing I could promise or provide for you so that you could trust me…”  
  
“Just as I thought” Mega Man replied “I'm gonna probably regret asking this, but I’m curious as to why you would call us…what do you want?”  
  
“I need parts… Bass found a strange robot in the basement of and abandoned mansion last night. His voice box is ruined and his circuitry is a mess among other things. I need help repairing him.”  
  
“Why don’t you have the parts?”  
  
"They were exhausted for my most recent…enterprise... and having to repair Bass after you threw him through the wringer again. None of my other providers are available so calling you was my last chance. I just need enough parts to make one Master grade robot.”  
  
Mega Man shook his head “No Dr. Wily…I won’t help you. I have no reason to trust you in this regard. Goodbye.”  
  
Rock hung up the phone, leaving Dr. Wily’s use of his final lifeline a waste.  
  
Meanwhile in Bass’s bedroom, Rhythm’s thoughts were being dictated onto the screen of the laptop. Bass was reading them intently.  
  
_To be buried while alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of these extremes which has ever fallen to the lot of mere mortality. That it has frequently, very frequently, so fallen will scarcely be denied by those who think. The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?  
_  
"What are you thinking?" Bass inquired.  
  
-EXITING_SLEEP_MODE  
-WELCOME_BACK_RHYTHM

_H-huh? W-What did you mean by “What are you thinking?”_  
  
“I was reading your thoughts” Bass answered “you were thinking about premature burial.”  
  
_Y-you can read my non-conscious thoughts as well?_  
  
Bass nodded, uncrossing his legs off the seat.  
  
_Oh...well it seems that I was remembering something from a story I read a long time ago.  
  
_ “Well what ever it was, it sounded rather morbid, at least it would have been if I was a human.”  
  
 _Well..It’s morbid for me, for quite an obvious reason.  
  
_ Bass nodded as he scrolled through Rhythm's recorded thoughts. As he scrolled, he noticed a strange conversation that had been recorded sometime during last night.  
  
“It seems that you were talking to someone in your thoughts last night that appears to be your creator. Did you happen visualize him? Get to see what he looked like?”  
  
_No, I didn't, and I didn't see myself either. The only thing I saw was a wall of interacting texts. I don't even think that what was recored was from one particular discussion with my creator. I can remember talking about the aspect of my creation before talking about my capability of love with my maker some time ago._  
  
“So you dreamed up this conversation with your creator?”  
  
_I think so…dreams are often aspects of our own life combined with disconnected details that are sealed together with the power of our own imagination._  
  
“Imagination” Bass doubtfully echoed “How does that work?”  
  
_I-I don't know. But maybe if my ability to love was explained through dreams, so could my imagination._  
  
Just then, Dr. Wily entered the room. “I’ve got some bad news…”  
  
Rhythm frowned and Bass sighed as he looked at the doctor “You couldn’t get the parts, right?”  
  
“Isn’t it obvious?! I tried all my contacts and connections, even trying talk to Dr. Cossack and even Dr. Light!”  
  
Bass just stared at Wily in confusion “You..YOU CALLED DR. LIGHT?”  
  
“Keyword: tried. Instead I got a hold of Mega Man and he responded in a predictable manner. He rebuffed me…”  
  
Bass groaned as he palmed his face “Well great…what are we gonna do without parts?!”  
  
“Well _I’m_ gonna have some breakfast to clear my mind as we try to figure this situation out” Wily replied “Take Rhythm to the workshop so I can work on him after I eat”  
  
Bass groaned as he helped Rhythm up out of the bed. The fragile robot carried the laptop as the two robots made their way to the workshop. Bass helped Rhythm onto the workshop table and also got a small table for the laptop to rest on.  
  
“Looks like we’re gonna have some problems repairing you Rhythm…” Bass groaned “how’s your mentality holding up?”  
  
 _The rain c-comforts me.  
  
_ “Well the rain won't last forever” Bass admitted.  
  
_I understand, just bring me some more cassette tapes and I'll be fine._  
  
“I’ll have to go through our junk room to find more tapes then.”  
  
_That's fine_.  
  
Bass departed, and after about fifteen minutes, he returned with another container full of cassettes of all types.  
  
“I don't know which one of these tapes will work. I'll test them all for now, so tell me if any are extremely unpleasant…I think a few of these are 8-Tracks…”  
  
Rhythm picked up a cassette tape and put it in Walkman and pressed play.  
  
“ _Well we all have a face  
that we hide away forever”_  
  
“ _Everyday my metal friend  
shakes my bed at 6 AM”  
_  
“ _Move yourself  
you always live your life  
never thinking of the future”  
_  
“It's amazing that most of these cassette tapes still work after all these years” Bass confessed.  
  
_It's a-amazing that I'VE been able to work after all these years_.  
  
“It is rather amazing” Bass replied “but there is still one thing that makes me wonder.”  
  
_And t-that is?  
_  
“Your project name is unusual… -4-2-nat0-. Its not like any other serial number I’ve encountered. My own serial is SWN-001.”  
  
_I don't k-know about it either. Maybe I'll find out during one of my dreams.  
_  
Bass shrugged as he examined the titles of one of the cassette tapes.  
  
**THE ROLLING STONES: IT’S ONLY ROCK ’N ROLL  
  
**Bass smiled as an idea suddenly came to him.  
  
“Rhythm, I’m gonna make a quick phone call, you stay here.”  
  
_O-Ok… but it’s not like I can really go a-anywhere anyway.  
  
_Bass chuckled a bit as he left the lab while Rhythm began testing more cassette tapes.  
  
“ _Sweet dreams are made of this  
who am I to disagree?”_  
  
As Rhythm listened to the music, Dr. Wily was preparing some cereal and reading the news off of a tablet.  
  
**DEATH COUNT CAPS OUT AT TWELVE AFTER ASSULT ON THE TOWN OLIVE**

During last night’s thunderstorm, a 25 year old police officer who was the last victim of an Sniper Joe assault died due to complications from his injuries. The reason of the attack that happened five days ago is unknown, but one of the assailants seemed to have a more “Devil-May-Care” in it’s methods. One of the most shocking deaths was of Dr. Heather Kijin, the resident scientist and former apprentice of Dr. Thomas Light. She was stabbed to death by an unidentified attacker. Her son, known as Tempo, reportedly disappeared a few days before the attack. A puzzling detail about the assault was the fact that the Joes were not going after the residents of the town but instead were focusing the berserk assailant. Currently, arrangements are being made for Heather's funeral proceedings. Heather was 32. [This is a developing story]  
  
As Dr. Wily read the news story, Bass made his way to his room and pulled out his cellphone to began dialing a special unlisted number.  
  
“Hello! This is Roll! How may I help you?” A cheery female voice on the other side spoke.  
  
“Hello Roll…” Bass nervously answered.  
  
“Bass…” Roll groaned “Why are you calling me?”  
  
“I… need to ask you a favor…a big favor…”  
  
Roll sighed “Bass…I’m not going to be someone to lean on, let alone someone to-”  
  
“It doesn’t have to do with anything like that” Bass interjected “Listen, I went to this abandoned mansion last night, and I found a broken robot in the basement. Wily doesn’t have the parts to repair it and he can’t find anyone to provide him parts.”  
  
Roll remained silent for a moment as she considered the situation “How can I trust you? What do you know about this robot anyway?”  
  
“We don’t know the maker nor when he was made. His name is Rhythm and he looks-”  
  
“Rhythm? His name is Rhythm?”  
  
“Yes…” Bass confusedly replied “It is…”  
  
“…Turn off the security perimeter at the fortress… I can convince Rock to coming here. But I warn you Bass, no funny business. I’ll be there in half a hour.”  
  
Roll hung up, and Bass put his phone away before returning to the lab where Rhythm laid.

About half an hour later, a chime resonated throughout Dr. Wily's residence. The scientist was putting his dishes into a dishwasher when he heard the sound.  
  
“Who the hell could that be?” Wily pondered as he made his way to the front door “BASS?! DID YOU FORGET TO TURN THE SECURITY SYSTEM BACK ON? AGAIN?”  
  
Wily trudged to the door and swung it open door with great frustration.  
  
“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND-” Wily shouted, but he halted his aggression as he realized who was on his doorstep.

A blank faced Mega Man was standing alongside a slightly worried looking Roll. The two of them were carrying large cases filled with robot components, with Roll holding an umbrella for the both of them.  
  
“Good Morning Dr. Wily” Mega Man blankly spoke.  
  
Wily just stared at the two, wondering if he should let the two inside.  
  
“Are you gonna let us in or what?!” Rock complained.  
  
Dr. Wily let the two inside, the robots then putting the cases of parts on the floor and Roll closing the umbrella.  
  
“Where’s Rhythm?” Roll hurriedly asked.  
  
“How do you know this Robot’s name?” Wily asked “I never told Rock, and I never spoke to you on the phone.”  
  
“Bass called me” Roll admitted as the three made their way down the hall. When the two Lightbots entered the workshop, Mega Man and Roll were fascinated at the scene.  
  
Rhythm was playing air drums as the music blared from his headphones as Bass watched.  
  
“ _Well I've been waiting, waiting here so long_  
_But thinking nothing, nothing could go wrong”_  
  
When Bass realized that guests were present, he frantically stopped the tape out of embarrassment.  
  
"May I ask why this robot was ‘rocking out’?" Mega Man joylessly asked.  
  
“Rhythm here has an interesting condition” Dr. Wily explained “If at any point he is surrounded by silence, his programing over uses its power because if fears loneliness. The issue is a result of the damages that he has sustained due to whatever caused him to be sealed up in the mansion in the first place. Bass found him walled up in an alcove of an abandoned building. The reason he was able to locate Rhythm was due to the fact that lightning struck the structure he was walled up in, and protruding wires contacted with pipes that carried the electrical circuit.”  
  
Mega Man shrugged as he took out some tools from his pocket and began probing the insides of Rhythm. Roll meanwhile stared into Rhythm’s eyes, getting a good look at the damaged robot. His brown hair was extremely matted, but that could be easily replaced. His eyes were blue, and the right eye was paler than the other and had a large crack underneath it. On Rhythm’s arms and legs, there were accents of black and yellow which reminded her of hazard stripes. In the center of his torso, there was the shape of a white X and in the intersection there was a large blue gem in the shape of a diamond. It was cracked and gagged, but Roll swore that she had seen something like it before.  
  
“You feel familiar” Roll observed as she felt the gem.  
  
“Familiar?” Bass asked, surprising Roll “Who does Rhythm remind you of?”  
  
Roll recovered from the surprise and removed her hand from Rhythm “Mega Man…in a way.”  
  
“He really does” Bass replied with a nod “But with a few more additions.” _  
_  
“Never the less, Rhythm here is an odd Robot” Mega Man observed.  
  
_W-what would make you a j-judge of what's odd or n-not? We only say things are odd b-because we have never experienced them before._  
  
“Fair enough…” Mega Man replied with a shrug as he put his tool away “Now Rhythm, in order to fully repair you, we must shut you down for a while.”  
  
Rhythm frantically shook his head.  
  
_No! Nonononon-no! I've been without p-power for so long…I don't want to be back in the d-darkness!_  
  
“Rhythm here is extremely sensitive to the concept of being inactive” Dr. Wily explained “It’s due to the fact he's been walled up for who knows how long.”  
  
Mega Man rolled his eyes as he turned to Wily “Then what do you suggest we do?! We can’t fix him completely without a proper shutdown!”  
_  
_ The two began to fight, with Bass stepping in between the two to prevent them from getting at each other’s throats.  
  
“WILY!” Bass shouted “STOP TRYING TO KILL ROCK! THAT’S MY PURPOSE!”  
  
“If that's the case” Mega Man began “Why haven’t you succeeded?!”  
  
Bass then shoved Mega Man into the wall “Very funny Rock! If it wasn’t for your sister being here, I’d tear ya limbs off one by one!”  
  
“GUYS!!!” Roll shouted, freezing the two robots in place. “While your fighting won't get us anywhere, Bass's exclamation gave me an idea.”  
  
“Which is?” Wily weakly asked.  
  
“Maybe if we removed Rhythm's limbs one by one, we can slowly tighten the circuitry from his extremities and work in to his core.”  
  
Mega Man, Bass, and Dr. Wily all turned to Roll.  
  
“That’s… that’s not a bad idea!” Bass admitted as he helped Rock up.  
  
“Thanks Bass…” Rock replied as he stood “But which of Rhythm's limbs should we repair first?"  
  
_S-start with my legs. It will make it easier for me to m-maneuver if my legs are repaired._  
  
“Alright then,” Rock began “we’ll begin with the legs. Wily, get me your best tool kit, I need to check on the condition of the wires in the legs and the servos. Roll? You prepare the parts to overhaul the legs.”  
  
Dr. Wily retrieved a tool kit from one of his many racks and Roll began going through the carrying cases for the right parts.  
  
“What would you like me to do then?” Bass asked in an opposing tone “Stay out of your way?”  
  
“As much as I’d like you to stay out of my way, I need you to check his hard drive and memory. See if we can transfer it to an external hard drive so we can hold it somewhere for a full repair of Rhythm.”  
  
Bass nodded, and began preparing a diagnostics program on the laptop attached to Rhythm while Mega Man and Dr. Wily began to remove the legs.  
  
“It's a shame we can't turn this robot off” Mega Man grumbled “If we could, it would make repairing Rhythm a heck of a lot easier.”  
  
“We're dealing with unusual conditions here” Dr. Wily replied “We have to be careful with working on a robot so delicate.”  
  
“How are you holding up Rhythm?” Bass asked “How does it feel?”  
  
_I-It feels like my legs are d-disappearing._  
  
“Next time you get your legs removed, you’ll get used to it” Bass answered to comfort the fragile robot “Just keep the tapes playing so you don't lose energy.”  
  
_I-I will Bass…May I ask what you’re looking at exactly?_  
  
“I’m looking over the condition of your memory banks. I want to see if we can be able to transfer your memories and personality to a surrogate body so that we can completely refurbish your central operating systems. There are certain repairs that we can only implement when your power is completely off.”  
  
_D-Don’t turn me off._  
  
“I never said we were going to turn you off. If we are able to transfer your memory into another robot, we can work on your body without turning off your mind.”  
  
_T-that makes s-sense to me._  
  
As the music from the Walkman continued to reverberate in Rhythm's ears, Bass carefully read through the diagnostic details that appeared on the screen.  
  
-TEST_MEMORY_STATUS  
-TESTING...  
-PRE-PROGRAMED_ABILITIES:NORMAL  
-MEMORIES_CORRUPTED-UNDELETABLE  
-TRANSFER_STATUS: _ANALYZING...  
  
_Bass watched in worry, hoping that his plan would be possible to do.  
  
\- TRANSFER_STATUS:ERROR-NON-TRANSFERABLE  
-ANY_ATTEMPT_TO_TRANSFER_THE_MEMORY_TO_ANOTHER_BANK_WILL_  
RESULT_IN_ERASURE  
-NEW_MEMORY_BANKS_CAN_BE_ANNEXED_BUT_EXISTING_MEMORY_  
CAN_NOT_LEAVE_EXISTING_SYSTEM  
  
Bass smacked his fist on the work table, startling the others.  
  
-ERROR-POWER_MEMORY_LOSS  
-SHUT_DOWN_WILL_MOST_LIKELY_RESULT_IN_MEMORY_ERASURE  
-POWER_RUNDOWN_NOR_SLEEP_MODE_WILL_RESULT_IN_ERASURE  
  
“Bass?” Roll asked “What’s wrong?”  
  
“We won’t be able to transfer Rhythm’s memory to a external memory source. I’m guessing that it has to do with the fact that his memory is corrupted” Bass then turned to Rhythm “Your system wants to retain your memories but the threat of a shutdown prevents that"  
  
“So what are we going to do?” Mega Man asked.  
  
"I don’t know yet…” Bass confessed “let me at least take a look inside Rhythm myself.”

Bass picked up a penlight off a workbench and began rummaging through Rhythm's internal circuitry while the cassette tape continued to play.  
  
“ _I must have dreamed a thousand dreams  
been haunted a million screams”  
  
_Bass sighed and looked at Rhythm’s system with dread. “Rhythm, your internal circuitry is in a condition that could have only one explanation.”  
  
“And what explanation is that?” Wily bluntly asked.  
  
Bass drew a heavy sigh “Rhythm’s internals have been deliberately sabotaged.”  
  
 _My c-circuitry has been s-sabotaged?  
  
_ “Take a good look at the wiring” Bass spoke as he gave Dr. Wily the penlight. Mega Man took out his own flashlight and the two began to look inside the saddened Rhythm.   
  
“Who could have done such a thing?” Wily wondered.  
  
“Anyone” Mega Man replied "this could have all be done with any number of ways. Metal snips, low toxic acid, aerosol and a flame, the number of possibilities and suspects are endless.”  
  
“How this happened is not of high priority!” Bass complained “What is important is who did this why!” he then shouted.  
  
“Well do you have any ideas Sherlock?!” Mega Man retorted “Rhythm here could be several years old and whoever did this may be _dead_ by now. And besides, when did you ever care about justice, huh?!”  
  
The mood of the workshop swiftly died, with only the music from the walkman and a soft whimper being emitted from Rhythm’s system. After a few moments of tension, Mega Man and Dr. Wily continued removing Rhythm’s legs. As they did so, Roll notice a strange engraving written inside Rhythm’s chest.  
  
“Hey Rock, take a look at this…”   
  
Rock paused removing Rhythm’s leg and took a look at the engraving.  
  
 **THE PROTOMETHEUS'S PROMETHEUS  
  
** "The Prometheus's Prometheus? What does that mean?" Mega Man asked.  
  
_M-maybe it means that a r-robot made me?_  
  
“A robot might have built you?” Dr. Wily asked in disbelief “But who? There's no information of your creation or activation date, so that means there could be any number of robots who could have made you.”  
  
Rhythm let out a sigh as he laid on the work table as the lyrics that were blaring in his ears were dictated on to the laptop.  
  
_Stand up and let's start showing  
_ _Just where our lives are going to._


	3. Chapter 3

“Look, we both said a lot of things that you're going to regret, but I think we can put our differences behind us. For science. You monster”

-GLaDOS _Portal 2  
  
_ As the middle of the day came around, Rhythm’s legs had been completely removed his the body and were now being worked on at a separate station. Rhythm's legless torso was relocated in to Bass’s bedroom so he could rest. In the lab, Mega Man was analyzing the original components of Rhythm's legs, Roll was arranging the new parts on the left leg, and Dr. Wily returned from a bathroom break.  
  
“About time you came back.” Mega Man quipped.  
  
Dr. Wily cocked his eyebrow and smirked “Aww come on, Why are you so bitter? Do you not trust me?"  
  
“Of course I don’t trust you…”   
  
“Then why are you here?”  
  
“Because… because Roll wanted to come” Mega Man replied “When she told me that she recognized the name Rhythm, that convinced me to come over. There’s also the fact that I’ve been searching for Proto Man for the past few weeks and I haven’t been able to find him at all”  
  
Roll rolled her eyes as she finished with the parts on the left leg and began to work on that of the right. It was then when Mega Man approached the two holding one of the parts from Rhythm’s leg.  
  
“Dr. Wily, could I get a professional opinion on something?”  
  
“As long as if it doesn't involve illicit activities” Wily joked.  
  
Mega Man groaned as he handed one of Rhythm’s leg servos to the scientist “Can you confirm how old these parts are?"  
  
Dr. Wily examined the servo carefully, checking the condition of the component and looking at the part’s number engraved on the side.  
  
“Peculiar” Dr. Wily spoke “I haven't seen parts like this since the first Robot Masters were constructed.”  
  
“I knew they were familiar” Mega Man spoke “I recall that Dr. Light removed parts like those when he gave me a hardware upgrade after your fourth exploit.”  
  
“So that means that Rhythm must have been made some point during my first…well…”  
  
"Regretful are we?" Mega Man said with a smirk.  
  
Dr. Wily glared at Mega Man as he tossed back the part and resumed working on Rhythm's right leg. Bass, who was returning from placing Rhythm in his room, entered the workshop with a tray carrying a pack of E-tanks and a cup of coffee for Dr. Wily. Mega Man ignored Bass, Roll quietly took one of the tanks, and Dr. Wily grabbed the mug of coffee.  
  
“Hello there Bass” Dr. Wily spoke before sipping his coffee “How's Rhythm holding up?”  
  
“He’s doing fine. He has enough tapes to listen to” Bass answered “Oh, and he has expressed a particular interest in talking to Mega Man…couldn't imagine why…”  
  
“Oh no!” Rock defensively replied “I am not leaving my sister alone with you two scoundrels!”  
  
Bass chuckled “Rock, I never said that you _had_ to leave Roll here. To be honest, I think that Rhythm would like to formally meet your sister as well”  
  
“Could we?” Roll asked Rock “I've been overloading my circuits during these repairs and I could really use a break.”  
  
Mega Man shrugged as he put his tools down and took Roll’s hand. The two Lightbots left the workshop with Bass relocating himself to where Roll stood.  
  
"Sheesh, what bug crawled into Mega Man's software today?” Bass grumpily asked.  
  
“Isn't it obvious dumb-Bass? He doesn't trust the two of us…” Wily replied with a groan “And to be honest, we can’t really blame them.”  
  
Mega Man and Roll soon found Bass’s bedroom and saw that Rhythm lying in Bass's bed and listening to a cassette tape. The room was sparsely adorned, almost like a single person college dorm that no one had move into yet. As Rhythm listened to his music, he had the volume so high that Rock and Roll could hear what Rhythm was listening to.  
  
“ _Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,  
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,  
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,  
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.  
'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door;  
Only this, and nothing more.”  
_  
“Are we disturbing you?” Roll quietly asked.  
  
Rhythm pressed stop on the cassette tape, and weakly shook his head _._  
  
“So you don't mind us coming in?” Mega Man asked.  
  
_Not at all. P-please, pull up a chair._  
  
Roll took Bass’s desk chair and sat in it while Mega Man just stood in the doorway of the room.  
  
“So Rhythm…how are you feeling?” Roll inquired.  
  
_I feel…a little d-displaced at the moment, I'm g-guessing that’s due to the fact that my legs are being worked on._  
  
“That’s understandable” Roll admitted “I feel similar when my limbs are repaired by my creator.”  
  
Rhythm nodded, and then turned his attention to Mega Man, who had not spoken since he arrived.  
  
_W-why aren’t you s-speaking?_  
  
“I don't have anything to say…” Mega Man answered with a sigh.  
  
_Really? Or do you say that b-because you wish not to speak what's on your mind?_  
  
Mega Man frowned “What are you implying?”  
  
_I’m not i-implying anything, I'm just asking q-questions._  
  
“I suggest that you start asking different questions then” Mega Man retorted “Questions like ‘Who are Dr. Wily and Bass really?’ 'What are they planning to do to me?’ ‘Is this place safe?’ among others.”  
  
_This p-place isn’t safe?  
  
_“You don’t know _squat_ about Dr. Wily and Bass” Mega Man responded “Why are you trusting them?”  
  
“Rock! Stop this!” Roll pleaded.  
  
_I trust them because they a-actually seem a-accommodating and sympathetic to my situation … while you seem to be here against your own will… why should I trust you?_  


“I’m only here because Roll recognized your name…” Mega Man said with a huff. The blue robot then stormed out of the room, leaving Roll and Rhythm by themselves.  
  
_R-Rock? I thought his name w-was Mega Man…  
_  
“Before my brother was known as Mega Man, he was called Rock by our maker. I am Roll, so together we are…"  
  
_Rock and Roll. I u-understand._  
  
“It's strange though” Roll realized “Rock and Roll, in the music world at least, used to be a singular thing. Now we have Rock without the Roll, do you think that the same will happen to me and Mega Man?”  
  
_I hope not. For you are a w-wonderful robot girl and you are lucky to have a brother like Mega Man._  
  
“Thank you Rhythm” Roll replied with a smile as she began to leave the room.  
  
_Roll, could you fulfill a m-minor request?_  
  
“Oh? What would you like me to do?”  
  
_Just plant your lips onto my f-forehead, nothing else._  
  
Roll slowly approached Rhythm, blushing slightly, and did just that. She almost embraced him, but she retracted for some unknown reason.  
  
“You are strange one Rhythm” Roll spoke as she left the room.  
  
Rhythm smiled and pressed play on his Walkman as Roll exited.  
  
“ _Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December,_  
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.  
Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow  
From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore,  
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore,  
Nameless here forevermore.”  
  
Bass was a little surprised when he saw Mega Man return to the lab alone and in a huff.

“How are the legs coming along?” Mega Man asked, aggravated.  
  
“They're almost done” Wily answered “We'll be able to put them on tomorrow morning”  
  
"Good" Mega Man joyously replied.  
  
“Alright then Mega Man…” Bass grumbled as he stepped away form Rhythm’s leg and made his way to Rock “ever since you arrived here you’ve been in an unpleasant mood. I have to ask…what is ticking you off exactly?”  
  
“Shouldn’t it be obvious Bass?!" Rock shouted, slamming his tool onto the work table “It’s _you and Dr. Wily!_ To think that you two criminals had the audacity to call **ME** of all people to work on this wrecked robot that you found by random chance!”  
  
Bass crossed his arms, unaffected by Rock's rage “Then why did you agree?”  
  
**“BECAUSE ROLL ASKED ME TO, ALRIGHT!”**  
  
“Well it seems that you would rather not even be in the first place!” Bass retorted, stepping towards Rock “Or is it that your curiosity more intense that your aversion to me and the doc?”  
  
“That's absurd!” Rock shouted “Rhythm could be just be part of an intricate trap to catch me off guard!”  
  
“Your absurdity is absurd in it self.” Bass retorted “Your attitude surrenders the suggestion that you are not just angry at me and Dr. Wily, but for other reasons as well! What has made you more loathsome than a drunk Dr. Wily?"  
  
"It's none of your business!” Rock shouted “Stop it this instant!”

“No! I’m not going to stop this!” Bass responded with a smirk “I’m going to savor this for all that I can, because if I can't destroy your body… _I can ruin your mind.”_  
  
**_“YOU CAN'T GET TO ME!”_** Rock exclaimed, causing Roll and Dr. Wily to step away from the arguing enemies.  
  
“Oh really?! What about all the times you defeated robots that you had once worked on and treated as your own work? Are you tired of fighting the same kinds of battles again and again? Do you ever think if Proto Man sees you as a true hero or just as a pawn for human interests?”  
  
“YES! YES! YES!" Mega Man shouted as he collapsed on the floor “I _do_ regret, I _am_ tired, and I _do_ wonder about such things”  
  
“Then why don't you tell someone?” Roll weakly asked, approaching Rock.  
  
Rock sighed as he stood “I’ve talked to Dr. Light and he says that I shouldn't ask about such things. He tells me that it's none of my concern. However, the problem is that these kinds of questions keep coming on back to me.”  
  
Roll approached his brother to give him a firm hug. The two robots embraced each other for a few good minutes before resuming work on repairing Rhythm's right leg. Bass and Dr. Wily resumed working on the left leg before the two stopped hugging.  
  
“Bro?” Roll began “why did you storm out of Bass’s bedroom?”  
  
Mega Man sighed “I’m sorry sis…I snapped a bit… just the fact that Dr. Wily and Bass got to this poor bot first before I could. We wouldn't be having this situation if I found him. Not to mention that there’s also the fact that Rhythm doesn’t seem to trust me…”  
  
“Well he’s known Bass and Wily for just a bit longer more than he knows me and you…”  
  
Mega Man nodded “Exactly.”  
  
Meanwhile, Dr. Wily and Bass were talking as well.  
  
“You're gonna think that I have a screw loose…" Bass began.  
  
“I _already_ think you have a screw loose” Dr. Wily interrupted “Several actually.”  
  
“Hahaha…” Bass mirthlessly replied “but in all seriousness, I honestly think that what I did to Rock just now was a _bit_ too much.”  
  
“What?!” Dr. Wily asked in astonishment.  
  
“I feel like I shouldn't have taunted Mega Man like that” Bass confessed “For some weird reason, I feel like I did something bad.”  
  
Dr. Wily scoffed at the notion “Bass, you tell me that you feel like you did something bad when you've been doing bad things you've considered good for who knows how many years. What makes this any different?”  
  
Bass shrugged as the four continued repairing the two legs.  
  
Rhythm in the meantime had fallen asleep in Bass’s bed, with the sounds of the cassette tape giving him comfort.  
  
“ _And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting_  
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;  
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.  
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;  
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor  
Shall be lifted—nevermore!”


	4. Chapter 4

“The death of a beautiful woman, is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world”  
-Edgar Allan Poe  
  
An hour had passed after Bass and Mega Man had their spat at each other. Wily had gotten a tablet from his bedroom to run a test on Rhythm's legs, Mega Man and Roll took a break over some E-Tanks and Bass briefly left the lab so he could check on Rhythm. As Bass entered, he saw Rhythm reach into the bin of tapes so he could listen to a new one.  
  
“Hey Rhythm” Bass began “How are you doing? Any power issues?”

_No p-power issues, I've been d-doing well. How are my legs c-coming along?_  
  
“They're coming along fine and we’re almost done with them. Dr. Wily is running tests on them now and we’ll reattach them to your body tomorrow”  
  
_That’s w-wonderful! What part of me will you be r-repairing next?_  
  
“Well we haven't really discussed it yet, but I think that your arm cannon should be worked on next”  
  
_Okay... but w-without my arm, it’ll be harder to listen to the c-cassette tapes._  
  
“That’s a good point” Bass replied, resting his chin on his hand “Well... I do have temporary arms for when my own arm cannons are being repaired… what arm do you have you cannon on?”  
  
Rhythm wordlessly raised his right arm up, allowing Bass to examine it.  
  
“Well I think the doc could integrate one of my arms on to you, shouldn't be a problem”  
  
_Thank g-goodness…say Bass?  
  
_“Yes Rhythm?” _  
  
Is it p-possible for me to see the legs be tested?_  
  
“I don't see why not, but you're gonna have a problem moving around without legs…”  
  
Rhythm frowned, but Bass grinned as he got an idea.  
  
“Just one sec…I'm gonna check if there is anything appropriate in the junk room”  
  
Bass quickly left the bedroom and soon returned with a battered collapsable wheelchair. He carefully picked up Rhythm's legless torso and placed him into the wheelchair. Bass also took the laptop Rhythm was connected to and placed it in front of Rhythm's body. The two then left Bass’s bed room and traveled down the hallway to the lab.  
  
“Why is he here?” Mega Man asked as Rhythm entered.  
  
 _I w-wanna see my legs get tested.  
  
_ Dr. Wily shrugged, and then began to activate a right program from his tablet. A pair of cables connected a PC to Rhythm's detached legs with the tablet acting as a remote control. Dr. Wily then began typing information into the tablet to prepare the program.  
  
“I just hope that the old parts within the legs are recognized by the computer even though we installed new components” Dr. Wily stated.  
  
Suddenly, the computer made a loud electronic noise that indicated the legs were detected by the software which made everyone let out a collected sigh of relief. As the program ran, Rhythm's detached legs began to bend in a very methodical manner. They first bent the knees, then the ankles, and was then followed other joints of the robotic legs. At one point, the ankle of the left leg but soon resumed after Dr. Wily rushed in to make a quick adjustment.  
  
-TEST_STATUS:-SUCESS-PARTS_NOW_FULLY_FUNCTIONAL  
  
_F-fantastic! I can’t wait to have these i-installed again!  
  
_“And the repairs didn't take that much time at all!” Wily said with a smile.  
  
“A full day of work doesn’t count as a lot of time to you doc?!” Bass exclaimed “We began work at eight in the morning, and we've ended at eight in the evening!” _  
  
_“EIGHT IN THE EVENING?!” Rock exclaimed “Shoot… It’s almost nine O’clock!”  
  
Bass confusedly looked at Mega Man “What's the problem?!”  
  
“Dr. Light told us that he was going to call Rock from Olive this evening” Roll answered.  
  
“Olive?” Dr. Wily asked “Is that where he's calling from?”  
  
“There's no time to elaborate further Dr. Wily” Mega spoke as he gathered up his personal effects “Roll and I don't want Dr. Light knowing that we were HERE of all places”   
  
“Alright, alright” Bass replied “Make tracks if you must. But if you wanna get home in time, just leave the parts you brought with you here”  
  
“I don't know…” Rock replied, suspiciously looking at Dr. Wily “Roll and I brought enough parts for two robots, and I don’t want you building some new robot…”  
  
Roll quickly glanced at Rhythm, who was smiling sweetly “I think that they can stay here for the night… Rhythm will tell us if they were misused tomorrow”  
  
“Alright” Rock conceded “We'd better go now… see you tomorrow…”   
  
The Lightbots rushed out of the door of Wily’s fortress and quickly sped off in Rock’s car.  
  
Once the car was truly out of range of Wily’s security system, the not so good doctor flopped into his desk chair while Bass got some E for him and Rhythm.  
  
“Oof...what a day” Dr. Wily complained.  
  
“Really?” Bass said with a chuckle “That was strenuous? What tired you out more? Repairing Rhythm’s legs or Mega Man breathing down your neck the whole time?”  
  
“To be perfectly honest” Wily replied "It was the combination of both of those factors that tired me out”  
  
Bass smirked as he handed Rhythm an E-tank.  
  
_T-Thank you Ba-AHH!  
  
_As Rhythm took the can, his arm shook due to being unused to the weight and spilling a little bit of E onto the laptop.  
  
“Doc…” Bass spoke as he cleaned up the mess “I think Rhythm’s laptop is too cumbersome…”  
  
_I agree… is there s-something else we could use so I can talk?  
  
_Dr. Wily rolled his eyes as he wordlessly handed his tablet to Rhythm. It was a sleek modern device, made of brushed metal and with a large glass screen.  
  
“Search around the programs on it” Wily tiredly spoke “There should be a program on it to make Rhythm speak”  
  
Bass quickly detached the laptop from Rhythm and then connected the tablet to him and found the right the application.  
  
-DEAF_ROBOT_SPEAKER-TABLET_VERSION-  
Version1.2  
  
As Bass pushed the wheelchair to his bedroom, the tablet quickly synced up to Rhythm's software. Once the two robots arrived, Bass carefully put Rhythm in the bed.  
  
“So Rhythm” Bass began “how do you feel right now?”  
  
_I f-feel fine, just a bit tired…  
  
_“I understand” Bass replied “It’s probably due to how worn your system is. Once you get more active the tiredness will wane”  
  
Rhythm smiled and Bass made his way to his desk chair and pulled out his laptop.  
  
 _Hey Bass?  
  
_ “Yes Rhythm?” _  
  
Have you ever read the w-works of Edgar Allan Poe?  
  
_“Reading is something I rarely do” Bass admitted “Most of the time, I’m usually wandering the streets of the city or relaxing at my hideout. Why do you ask?”  
  
_My f-father used to read to me. He read a lot of books. He read many books and then he gave them to me a-afterwards._  
  
“You have a well read father,” Bass replied “Do you have a favorite book?”  
  
_Well…I don't think that it r-really counts as a book b-because they consists of many stories, but a book of s-stories by Edgar Allan Poe always i-intrigue me. His stories often r-revolve around the fact that inside each person’s darkest depths of their p-personality is….  
  
_ “Is…what?” _  
  
…the d-desire to kill._  
  
Bass blinked in surprise “You seem…uncomfortably okay with that fact”  
  
_Desire is one thing, doing it is a-another._  
  
"True" Bass answered with a nod “Do I remind you of any characters from any books?”  
  
_You actually remind me of a real person who wrote a book about an experience he endured.  
  
_“And that is?” _  
  
Frederick Treves. He was an English surgeon during the nineteenth century. He encountered a man named Joseph Merrick at a freak show. Joseph was known as “The Elephant Man” due to his de-habilitating deformities that made him look grotesque. Doctor Treves brought him to his hospital to examine him and the two formed a strong bond. Dr. Treves wrote about Joseph in the book _The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences _.  
  
_“And I’m like Dr. Treves because?” _  
  
You are the d-doctor…and I'm the c-curiosity._  
  
Bass sighed and shook his head “I appreciate your flattery, but I don't think that I am such a person”  
  
_Then who would you c-compare yourself to?_  
  
“Personally, I’d compare myself to Alex from _A Clockwork Orange_ ”  
  
_How come?_  
  
“I disobey the common order, I like to have my own kind of fun, I like to dominate and oppress, and I give little care as to who gets hurt”  
  
Rhythm shivered slightly in Bass's bed.  
  
_Y-you do? I haven’t seen that in you…_  
  
“That's because you haven't seen me in my natural habitat” Bass said with a sigh “I was created to be violent… I was created to defeat Mega Man”  
  
_O-oh…Well if that is your true f-form, let's say that you were arrested due to a crime that you c-committed due to your self-professed v-violent behavior. While in prison, the warden a-approaches you with a choice. They says that you could either be y-yourself for as long as you exist, which would mean that you would have no chance of being d-discharged from prison, or you could be r-reprogrammed to be a model citizen of a robot and be released once the r-reprograming was f-finished. What would you choose?  
  
_Bass lulled on making a response.  
  
“I… don't know” Bass replied as he scratched his chin “I'll have to get back to you on that, I can’t answer it immediately”  
  
_Okay, g-good night Bass._  
  
“Good night Rhythm”  
  
As the music on Rhythm's cassette tape played, Bass left the bedroom and made his way back to the lab, where Dr. Wily was resting.  
  
“Doctor Wily, may I ask you a…” Bass spoke as he entered the room, but he once he noticed that the doctor was limply lying in his desk chair. Bass slowly approached the unresponsive scientist and waved his hand in front of Wily's face in an attempt to wake him. He then gave the doctor a poke, but it did not awaken the doctor.

  
“Alright then,” Bass began as he crossed his arms “may I ask you a question?”  
  
*snore*  
  
“Do you mind if I take a walk around the perimeter of the fortress for a while?”  
  
Staying in the fortress for long periods of time aggravated Bass. A combination of the lack of interesting events that happened in the fortress and the grating personality of Dr. Wily exacerbated the need to leave the facility often.  
  
*snore*  
  
“I can? Are you sure? I don’t want to disobey you!” Bass lied through his teeth.  
  
*snore*  
  
“I'll may not be able to return if you need me” which was an honest response.  
  
Inertia was Dr. Wily's current condition.  
  
“Okay then, I'll be back in a while”  
  
Bass chuckled as he left Dr. Wily to saw his logs. As the rebellious robot opened the door of the fortress, he felt a light drizzle fall onto his helmet as rain began to fall. The lone robot shrugged, and then wandered around the fortress on his lonesome.  
  
“It seems to be raining a lot more these days” Bass commented.  
  
Meanwhile, at the Light residence, Roll was looking out at a window planter as Mega Man prepared to make a video call with Dr. Light.  
  
“It seems to be raining a lot more these days” Roll commented.

“I guess so, but it’s good for the plants outside” Rock spoke as he turned his laptop on. He had already changed out of his armor and was now dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue T-Shirt. Roll then made her way to their robot dog named Rush so she could feed him while Rock was held his tablet and patiently waited for Dr. Light to call him.   
  
“Are you ever going to call me tonight?” Mega Man impatiently asked aloud “I mean, we were out today and we rushed back swiftly not to miss your call….”  
  
To Mega Man's relief, the tablet suddenly rang. On the screen, Dr. Light’s was front and center of the device, above the “Accept/Reject” button. After pressing accept, he then saw Dr. Light’s face. He was resting at the desk of his hotel room, which consisted of a pale yellow color scheme.  
  
“Hello there Rock” Dr. Light greeted.  
  
“Hello there dad” Mega Man replied “How is everything in Olive?”  
  
Dr. Light sighed “Not the best… The police still have a large presence here. It took me about a half hour of convincing them to let me into town. They finally relented when I said that I was there in regards to Heather, my former student”  
  
“Oh no…I’m sorry dad…” Rock said with a frown “w-what are you gonna do?”  
  
“I’m working on arranging the wake and the funeral. The autopsy has been complete and the embalming of Heather's body is currently under way. The lawyer is already in town to read her will and is also assisting me with other business”  
  
Rock nodded “I understand dad… how long do you think you’ll be gone? This stuff does take a long time to handle, right?”  
  
Dr. Light nodded “It will take a few days at least…and things are even more emotional since the police are on still on the lookout for Heather’s little boy…”  
  
“They still haven’t found him?”  
  
Dr. Light shook his head “I’m worried about him, especially with the threat of Sniper Joes in the area. The radicalization of the Joes is something that shouldn’t have happened. I warned Wily about the mass production of the Joes but he didn’t listen…they’re like HAL’s with human bodies at this point”  
  
“I know dad… but we all have to live with our mistakes”  
  
Dr. Light tensed a bit and drank a bit of water to calm his nerves “Anyway, what did you do today? Anything interesting?”  
  
Rock hesitated a bit, tightening his fists “Nothing much doctor. Roll and I cleaned around the house, we took Rush for a walk, and we played some video games”  
  
“That’s good… I'm glad to hear that you’re having a good time” Dr. Light replied “here in Olive, questions have been coming in left and right about what’s been going on around here. Why did the Joes attack? Who died exactly? Has Blues been in the area? and…"  
  
“Blues!?” Rock shouted in surprise “Blues was sighted? If he has, I-I need to come to Olive as soon as possible! I need to find him!”  
  
Dr. Light sighed “Rock, I understand that you’ve been looking for him…the situation is tense here however and you arriving could contribute to the pressure. Besides, it could have been a false sighting or he could be gone by now, we don’t know”  
  
“B-but I need to see him!”  
  
“Rock….” Dr. Light sternly began “As your creator, have the final word on what you can do. Do not come to Olive. I insist. It’s best for everyone, ok?”  
  
Rock’s fists tightened as he hung his head “Yes father. I’ll stay home”  
  
“Thank you Rock, you’re a very dutiful son…" Dr. Light said with a fatherly smile “I’ll be back in a few days. In the mean time, stay safe and tell me if you hear anything. Have a good night”  
  
“Good night dad” Rock spoke as he hung his head as the call ended.   
  
Blues, the mysterious robot who appeared to had some strange connection to him. Unlike Bass, Blues was no blatant enemy to Mega Man. The two had fought and Blues he did have associations with Dr. Wily, but his past and motives were a mystery. Underground sources seemed to indicate that he was working for the advancement of other robots, but these were only baseless rumors at the present time.   
  
Rock had not heard of anything Blues for a couple of months and this conversation first shred of information that gave him Rock in finding the mysterious robot, but having being shut down by Dr. Light disheartened him.   
  
In the kitchen, Roll was frowning and Rush was whimpering.  
  
“Roll?”  
  
“Yes bro?”  
  
“I’m going to go out for a little bit” Rock said with a sigh “I need to cool my circuits. If Dr. Light calls, do not tell him about what we did with Dr. Wily and Bass under any circumstances. Don’t tell him about Rhythm either. If he happens to mention Blues, tell me about what Light said. Could you do that for me sis?”

Roll nodded and smiled a bit “I will bro”  
  
Mega Man let out a sympathetic smile as he walked over and patted her back. “That's a good girl”   
  
He took an umbrella with him as he walked through Mega City, walking past closing shops, vending machines, and police kiosks. He only stopped for a moment when he noticed a bookstore and saw a book in the display that was titled “The Return of the Gadfly: Questions upon Questions”. Rock entered the bookstore and picked up an actual paper copy of the book in order to show it to Rhythm. He wandered through the streets with Rhythm’s questions ringing through his head and the sighting of Blues.  
  
When he returned home, Rock sat on the couch and began to read the book before he slowly fell into sleep mode. Once Roll saw her sleeping brother, she got him his blanket and favorite pillow from his bed room. As Roll tucked him in, she noticed Rock’s finger was inserted into the book and marked off one of the pages. Roll picked up the book and read what was on the page. It was mainly blank, but had a quote in the center.  
  
“ _As for me, all I know is that I know nothing”  
_-Socrates  
  
“How does that work?” Roll asked herself “Everyone knows something, so we can't know nothing in the first place”  
  
Roll wanted to read the book, but didn’t want to disturb his brother’s place. She used the green ribbon that she used to tie her hair up as a book mark, and then went to her room to grab a sleeping bag so she could sleep beside her brother on the floor.  
  
As Mega Man and Roll slept, Bass was quietly patrolling around the fortress. The rain began to fall harder but it did not deter Bass's vigil. Within the fortress, Rhythm listened was sleeping to the sound of music.  
  
“ _I've got no means to show identification  
I've got no papers showing what I am  
You'll have to take me just the way that you find me  
What's gone is gone and I do not give a damn”_


	5. Chapter 5

“I'd like to be known as the person who saw things from a different point of view to others.”

-Shigeru Miyamoto  
  
 **“** _What are you trying to do Rhythm?”  
  
_ _I'm trying to create something.  
  
_ _"Oh? What are you trying to make exactly?”_  
  
_I don't know. Maybe if I keep drawing in my notepad I might think of something._  
  
“ _Rhythm, I know that I programmed you with an imagination and that you want to use it, but you cant force art to come out when you want to. A creation has to come from some form of inspiration”_  
  
_Like what?_  
  
“ _Anything! Music has been inspired by the motions of animals or things like a child crawling around a room, movies have been inspired by the exploits of other people, TV shows have been inspired by the interactions of family members, and books have come from dreams and other visions”_  
  
_So…where do I find this inspiration?_  
  
“ _Anywhere! Inspiration can come from anywhere as long as it is strong enough to begin an idea. So take a break from that notepad for a while and let inspiration come naturally”_  
  
_Could I read another book?_  
  
_“Sure, would you like to read what I was reading a while ago?”_  
  
_Of course!_  
  
“ _Here you are. Now I must warn you, this book has been disturbing to both humans and robots alike.”_  
  
_I understand. Do you mind if I read aloud?  
_  
_“I don’t mind at all so”_  
  
_'What's it going to be then, eh?'_  
  
Bass had been walking around the fortress for a few hours and noticed that he had been leaving an increasingly deep trench in the mud. The rustle of dead twigs and the creaking of bending metal was combined with the sound of the rain that slammed into Wily’s fortress . Curious of how long he’d been out, Bass checked his internal clock he was told that it had become one O’clock in the morning of the next day. His systems were fatigued, as an alert in his head told him that he needed some energy. The same alert system also told him that he was drenched from head to toe in rain.   
  
As he made his way to the front door, lightning struck a structure in the distance. The bright flash of light suddenly revealed a shadowy figure that was leaning against the door of the building.  
  
“WHO’S THERE?!” Bass shouted as he instantly engaged his arm cannon, ready for a fight.  
  
The soft chuckle of a male voice came from the figure as it it put it's hands up “Heheheh…Forgot to turn the security systems back on, didn't you Bass?”  
  
Bass blinked as he walked up to the figure. He was wearing a black trench coat, and Bass could a flash of yellow fabric wrapped around the figure’s neck. The figure also had brown hair that drooped in front of the figure’s pair of large sunglasses due to the rain. At the figure’s side was a large shield.  
  
“Really Proto Man?” Bass shouted as he disengaged his cannon “Did you have to scare me like that?! I know that we're not on the greatest terms but…”  
  
“I didn't intend to” Proto Man said with a chuckle “But I must ask…why are you wandering outside of the fortress in this powerful deluge?”  
  
“No particular reason…” Bass sheepishly answered “I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts for a while…so why are you here?! You normally only come here to interrupt Dr. Wily’s schemes but you and Rock kicked our collective butts several weeks ago”  
  
“I got a message from Kalinka this afternoon” Proto explained.  
  
“Your little Russian lapochka” Bass caustically replied.  
  
“Don't give me any crap about her, alright? Or shall I give you some grief over your interest in R-”  
  
“Let's not fight over such petty things” Bass answered as he put his hands up defensively.  
  
Blues took a deep breath “Kalinka told me that Dr. Cossack got a call from Dr. Wily, requesting for robot parts. It caught both him and her off guard. She requested for me to check out the situation here to see what was going on.”  
  
“Well I can tell you first hand about what’s going on… do you know about the Modern Mansion facility on the outskirts of the city?”  
  
Proto Man slowly nodded “I’ve been there and I’ve wandered through the ruins several times. Humans love to claim that there are ghosts that roam the hallways and that they can hear the wails of the dead throughout the abandoned building...to be honest, the tales of a haunting seem to have an effect on me. I sensed something the last time I visited.”  
  
“Really?” Bass asked “What did you detect?”  
  
“It’s none of your business Bass” Proto bitterly replied “just tell me what the Modern Mansion has to do with Dr. Wily calling Dr. Cossack”  
  
“Well…” Bass began “last night, I went to the Modern Mansion myself to get out of the house. While I was wandering in the basement, I found a robot sealed up inside the wall”  
  
“Really…” Proto Man retorted in disbelief “What made you want to tear the wall down? Some compelling urge to cause vandalism?”  
  
“Ha ha ha…no” Bass unenthusiastically replied “I didn't tear the wall down, it was the robot that was sealed behind the wall that tore it down and was able to escape by himself. From what I could detect, some of this robot’s wiring was connected to a pipe that helped transfer an electrical circuit to the robot’s power supply. Due to last night's lightning storm, he eventually gained enough power to use his arm cannon to destroy the wall and exit out of his confinement”  
  
Proto Man rested his hand on his chin as he listened “How peculiar… what is this robot capable of? Is it dangerous?”  
  
Bass shook his head “It’s highly unlikely that this robot was made to be aggressive. His weaponry is weaker than mine and Rock’s due to the damage he sustained anyway”  
  
“Damage? What damage?”  
  
“Yeah, this poor robot was assaulted and sabotaged by some mysterious assailant" Bass explained “I’m guessing that whoever hurt this robot was the one that sealed him in the basement in the first place.”  
  
“Yikes…” Proto replied “Is there anything else I should know about this robot? Anything you haven't seen before?”  
  
“Well when Wily and I were looking through the programing, we found that the robot has Beta programming about Love, Imagination, Creativity, and Sympathy. He also seems to be knowledgeable of many forms of media.”  
  
“May I see him?” Proto asked, intrigued.  
  
“Not now” Bass replied with a frown “He’s an incredibly frail robot. He can't speak due to his voice box is broke and his power rapidly drains when he is in silence. Dr. Wily and I have been working on him together.”  
  
“You two working together? Ha!” Proto Man chuckled as he crossed his arms “I haven’t expected that since Wily’s eighth attempt… But I must ask, Dr. Wily isn't going to make him into a robot master, is he?”  
  
Bass took offense to this implication “No! Absolutely not! I can't imagine Dr. Dumbass doing such a thing! Rhythm couldn't possibly be retrofitted to have the abilities to be a robot master. First off, his disabilities are almost too intense to repair completely.”  
  
“Rhythm? This robot's name is Rhythm?”  
  
Bass nodded.  
  
Proto Man just stared at Bass, eventually letting out a heavy sigh “Alright then Bass, thanks for letting me know what has been going on. However, I would like to see this strange robot in person, any chance of doing that?”  
  
“Come tomorrow night. He'll be in sleep mode when you meet him but you can still look at his condition.”  
  
“Why can’t I talk to him personally?”  
  
“I don't want to overwhelm him with stimuli, I feel the robot needs to be eased into this new world that he is now entering.”  
  
Proto Man nodded in agreement “Alright then. I’ll come tomorrow around this time. Keep the security systems off”  
  
The two shook hands.  
  
“Farewell Bass” Proto spoke.  
  
“See you later Blues” Bass replied  
  
Proto then disappeared into the darkness, leaving Bass alone on the doorstep of Dr. Wily’s fortress. Bass made his way inside, walked to the workshop and discovered that Dr. Wily had already woken up to go sleep in his own bedroom. Bass shrugged and traveled to bedroom to check on the sleeping Rhythm. Bass could barely hear soft dialogue from Rhythm’s headphones as well as the sound of a heartbeat decreasing in volume.  
  
“ _There is no dark side of the moon,_  
_as a matter of fact it's all dark”_  
  
The tape ended, and Bass pressed the stop button and began switching out the tape. He didn't press play, as the rain was intense enough to prevent Rhythm’s power from draining away. Bass then picked up Rhythm’s tablet and saw that he had been engaging in a discussion with an unknown person in his subconscious thoughts.  
  
_You will never leave me, will you daddy? You will always be there for me…right?_  
  
_“Son, I will be here for you to the best of my capabilities. But you have to understand that circumstances will separate the two of us at any moment. You have to brace for that situation.”_  
  
_W-W-Why dad?_  
  
_“The simplest explanation is that humans do not understand robots very well, and so they fear them. It's the nature of humans to fear what they cannot understand.”_  
  
_I-I don’t want to be feared…do all humans share this fear?_  
  
_“Fortunately son, some do not. Some ask questions, some work to learn more and try to understand the world of difference that is before them.”_  
  
Bass wondered about the structure of the conversation. Was the discussion between Rhythm and the other character linear? Or was it disjointed like before? Bass wanted to think over the possibilities more but his own eyes began to falter, so he pushed play on Rhythm's Walkman and laid down next to him, covering themselves with the black plush blanket.  
  
“ _Must be getting early  
Clocks are running late  
Paint-by-number morning sky  
Looks so phony_

_Dawn is breaking everywhere_  
_Light a candle, curse the glare_  
_Draw the curtains I don't care 'cause_  
_It's all right”_  
  
Bass's alarm clock beeped, yet again making him wonder why he tried to keep a consistent sleep schedule. As he hit the snooze button, he still heard the sound of an alarm of some sort going off.  
  
The black robot groaned as began to get out of the bed “Ugh… maybe last night’s stroll was a bad idea.”

As Bass stood up, he noticed that Rhythm was already awake and low on energy. The secondary alarm sounds were coming from the pale robot.

_I t-think that listening to the W-Walkman used a l-large amount of my p-power._  
  
“Crap!” Bass exclaimed as he began to rush out of his bedroom. He tripped a bit as he left, as his own low energy caused him to lose his balance. He rushed to the workshop to grab a six pack of E-tanks, stomping loudly through the facility. When he returned to the room, he ripped the lid off of one ofthe cans and hurriedly poured it into Rhythm’s mouth. “Sorry about that Rhythm!”

_I-It’s ok Bass…thank you._  
  
“You're welcome,” Bass said with a smile. He then grabbed a retractable cable that was attached to the floor and underneath the bed and connected it to Rhythm. “This should help you charge up a little more. It’d be the best idea for you to be fully charged when we reinstall your legs today.”  
  
_Thank you B-bass… I can’t thank you and your friends enough for all that you’ve done for me, even if you say that you are not necessarily the best people.  
_  
Bass chuckled nervously “Eheheh…It’s not that simple Rhythm. To be completely honest, Dr. Wily and I are the number one enemies of Mega Man. I told you earlier that my creator suffered a loss, it was due to both him and I getting defeated by Mega Man. Dr. Light, who is Mega Man's creator, and Dr. Wily used to work together long before I was built. Wily has tried many times to be victorious but he's always failed. The two scientists have butted heads with their creations for at least ten times now.” He sighed as he opened a can of E for himself and sipped the contents.“These days…it seems just routine to lose.”  
  
_L-losing again and again must depress you a lot.  
  
_“It’s not like I’m the good guy…”  
  
Just then, the phone rang in the other room.  
  
Bass groaned “DOC? CAN YOU ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE?!”  
  
“WHY CAN'T YOU ANSWER IT?!”  
  
“BECAUSE I’M ASSISTING RHYTHM, ALRIGHT?!”  
  
“ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!” Dr. Wily complained as he trudged out of his bedroom in lab coat. Rhythm could see from the doorway that the scientist’s hair was more frazzled than he saw before.  
  
“Dr. Dumbass is not a morning person” Bass explained.  
  
After trudging to the lab, Wily angrily picked up the phone and snapped at the caller.  
  
“HELLO! WHO IS IT? AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?”  
  
“Someone’s cranky in the morning…” the caller commented “Wily, it’s Mega Man”  
  
“MEGA MAN?! HOW IN THE HELL DID YOU GET MY PHONE NUMBER?!”  
  
“I saved it from when you called our house yesterday. I just wanted to let you know that Roll and I will be arriving soon to install Rhythm's legs and continue with repairing the rest of him”  
  
“Listen Megs… you already gave us the parts, you can let us do this ourself…”  
  
“No Doc, I’m not letting this project happen unsupervised. Expect us to be there at the fortress in a hour. No funny business.”  
  
Rock hung up, and Dr. Wily slammed the phone on the receiver.  
  
“I hate that robot…” Dr. Wily grumbled as he made his way to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast.  
  
During the phone call, Bass had put Rhythm back on the wheelchair and rolled him into the kitchen.  
  
“I’m guessing that Rock is coming to the lab again…” spoke Bass.  
  
“He just wants to make sure that we are just repairing him and not converting him into a Robot Master”  
  
"A deaf and anemic Robot Master?” Bass spoke in disbelief “Heh, that would be cruel. I mean, what strengths does Rhythm have?"  
  
Rhythm frowned upon hearing Bass’s comment.  
  
“He's smart for one thing” Wily admitted “Rhythm asks questions, is quite intelligent, and is very analytical. Plus there's the beta software we found him with. Love, imagination, creativity, and sympathy. I’ve never seen any robot who was integrated with those programs”  
  
Rhythm smiled at all the praise he received from Wily.  
  
“Well I'm glad that he wasn't programmed a fighter” Bass confessed.  
  
“Why? Because you’d have to destroy him if you found out he was stronger than you?” Wily caustically joked.  
  
“Not that, genius…its that if Rhythm was a dangerous robot, meant to harm and destroy, his entombment may have been justified.”  
  
_B-but I’m not a f-fighter…  
  
_“I know Rhythm, I know” Bass replied in all earnest “It’s just that one must be careful when finding strange robots… if Mega Man’s experience with Terra is any indication…”  
  
_Terra? Who’s Terra?  
  
_“It’s not important…” Bass answered as he gave Rhythm a fresh E-tank.

_Bass, did you have the chance to think over my c-clockwork question?_  
  
Bass hung his head and sighed.  
  
“I’ve been thinking over it," Bass began “but I still need weigh the options a little more. It’s not an easy question”  
  
_I u-understand. The question isn’t intended to be easy in the first place._  
  
“I’m guessing you’re going to ask me a bunch more questions in the future, right?”  
  
_Of c-course. I'll ask Mega Man m-more, and I plan on asking Roll and Dr. Wily questions as well._  
  
“Alright, fair enough” Bass conceded “By the way, I’ve noticed that your questions are not about your own background, why? Wouldn’t asking us questions help you understand more about your situation?”  
  
_The thing is that I am f-finding answers when I go to sleep. I ask q-questions that pertain to others rather than myself so I can prompt others to ask things about me._  
  
“Why do you want people to ask you stuff? You seem like your know a lot already”  
  
_All I know is that I know n-nothing. C-compared to the vast amount of k-knowledge out there, a single person knows only a small f-fragment of all there is to know. Besides, the u-unexamined life is not worth living._  
  
“I’m guessing someone famous and dead said that, right?”  
  
Rhythm just smiled a bit.  
  
A chime came from the front door, and Bass made his way to answer it. On a TV screen, Bass could see that Mega Man and Roll were standing on the doorstep of the fortress. Bass could also see that Roll was carrying some type of shoulder bag.  
  
Bass opened the door with surprising eagerness “Hello Mega Man, hello Roll”  
  
“Hello there Bass” Mega Man answered with a yawn. Roll yawned in succession.  
  
“Rest well last night?” Bass inquired before yawning himself.  
  
“I’d say so” Mega Man answered as he made his way inside, Roll following behind. “I talked to Dr. Light last night.”  
  
“What did you talk about?”  
  
“What happened in Olive mostly…they’re looking for Heather’s son and Dr. Light told me that Blues was supposedly spotted on the night of the attack.”  
  
Bass froze in place a bit, remembering what happened last night “I see… what could have he been in Olive for?”  
  
“He probably got wind of the Joes that were based in Olive and wanted to stop them” Rock guessed “Obviously, he was too late.”  
  
“Don’t think of it like that Rock” Roll quietly spoke.  
  
“How else can I put it?! People died and he could have stopped them!”  
  
“You don’t know that Rock…” Bass said with a sigh.  
  
Mega Man grumbled as they entered the lab. Dr. Wily had rolled in Rhythm from the kitchen and placed Rhythm on the worktable.  
  
“What's with the shoulder bag?” Dr. Wily asked.  
  
”I thought it would be helpful if I brought some of my own tools, along with some other things”  
  
Wily shrugged as Rock and Roll took Rhythm’s repaired legs off of a prep-table and began to reattach them back to Rhythm’s torso.  
  
_This is such an odd e-experience for me… it feels so… u-unnatural._  
  
“You’ll get used to the feelings" Mega Man responded as to comfort Rhythm. "When we redo your arms, it probably won’t feel as odd.”  
  
“Humans also feel weird when they get their limbs replaced as well, whether its a surgically attached replacement or a mechanical limb” Dr. Wily explained. “I did some work with artificial limbs back in college.”  
  
_You did work on c-cyborgs?  
  
_“I did indeed. Part of it helped me with understanding of anatomical preparation of future robots.”  
  
_Why did you gain an i-interest in robots? What is your u-ultimate goal in creating robots?_  
  
“Anyone could tell you that” Mega Man spoke, slightly unnerved “He wishes to take over the world and wanted to use robots as a personal army.”  
  
_R-really? And why does he wish to do so?_  
  
Work on the legs suddenly ceased and everyone turned their attentions to Dr. Wily. The reason why Wily did what he did was always a burning question in the minds of Mega Man, Roll, and even Bass.   
  
“Um…err…” Dr. Wily stumbled “Do I have to answer the question immediately? I-I mean… after all these years, my motive has…disappeared. I don’t know why I try any more…”  
  
_You don’t need to answer me i-immediately Dr. Wily…I u-understand that my questions are hard, b-but that's the point._  
  
Rhythm’s repairers silently resumed working on him and grew uneasy as the cassette music quietly blared.  
  
“ _I can't seem to face up to the facts_  
_I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax”  
_  
Bass was thinking about the choice of staying as himself in a prison or being reprogrammed to be free. Dr. Wily was trying to relocate his reasons for his lust to dominate the world. Mega Man was eager to figure out about Blues ever since Dr. Light mentioned him last evening. Roll however just focused on the repair job. The legs were finally attached back to Rhythm’s torso, his feet wiggling after they had been connected.  
  
_I feel my l-legs again…_  
  
“That's a good sign then” Dr. Wily spoke as he wiped his hands with a rag “Lets see if Rhythm can stand. Bass, could you get a cane for Rhythm just in case?”  
  
Bass dashed out of the workshop, quickly returning with a cheap wooden cane.  
  
“How do you feel so far?” Mega Man asked as he cleaned off the leg with a polishing cloth.  
  
_I feel g-good so far, nothing creaking or c-complaining…it feels….c-comfortable.  
_  
“Okay,” Dr. Wily began “now gently stand up and try to just walk towards me”  
  
Rhythm sat up on the workbench and gently put his feet on the ground. He then slowly slid his right leg forward and began getting used to the new motors and circuitry that had been installed. He slid the left leg next, using his arms as balance. Roll noticed that Rhythm’s tablet was sliding off of the work bench, so she picked up and carried the device as Rhythm made his first step that involved lifting left his leg. His right leg followed, and Rhythm began to truly utilize the repairs and walked around at a normal pace, bending his knees and adjusting his ankles.  
  
_They're f-fantastic! I feel so much…WOAH!  
  
_The pale robot had stepped on an uneven part of the workshop floor, which buckled his ankle and caused him to sail towards Bass.  
  
_AHHH!!!  
  
_ Bass extend his arms and caught Rhythm before he could face-plant.  
  
“Rhythm?!” Bass asked “Are you ok?”  
  
Rhythm whimpered a bit before standing up right.  
  
_I-I think I’ll need the c-cane…  
  
_Bass solemnly nodded as he handed Rhythm the cane. After he regained his balance, Rhythm began to test out his new installation. He bent at his knees and ankles, and made some gentle kicks. All while Roll was following him around with the tablet. He soon had a sappy smile on his face, eventually extending his arms and approached Dr. Wily.  
  
“W-what are you doing?” The doctor asked, backing up against the wall with a confused look on his face. Wily was about to slide out of the way but relented the thought when Rhythm grabbed hold of the doc’s torso and gave him a firm hug.  
  
_Thank you._  
  
Dr. Wily remained in silent amazement, for he had never been hugged by a robot before. Rock and Rolls stared at the two astonishment, even as Rhythm began to let go and make his way towards Bass.  
  
“Uh, Rhythm” Bass began “I don't think that this is really necess…”  
  
Bass was then muted by the act of electronic kindness.  
  
Mega Man, realizing that he was next, stepped forward himself to receive the hug. He also felt awkwardness from the hug. When he hugged Roll, she hugged back, but quite tightly, and whispered something softly into Rhythm’s ear.  
  
“Um…” Bass sheepishly began “This isn't going to happen every time we repair a limb, is it?”  
  
Rhythm shook his head.  
  
_I'm s-sorry, I just wanted to thank you all like my c-creator once did to me._  
  
“Really? Your creator hugged you?” Mega Man replied in astonishment “Most robot scientists I know rarely crack a smile when their robot is successful… _*cough* Dr. Wily *cough*_ ”  
  
“I heard that!” Wily complained.

Rhythm then gently hung his head.  
  
 _He t-treated me like a son. I was not just some piece of m-machinery nor an o-obedient… thing._

  
Mega Man shamefully looked at the junk covered floor, with Bass directing a viscous glare towards Dr. Wily that the scientist most certainly noticed.  
  
“Al-alright then!” Roll spoke to defuse the situation “Maybe we should get started on one of Rhythm’s arms?”  
  
_A-actually…I don’t see why you four can't take a break. How long did that take? An h-hour?_  
  
“It took no more than half an hour,” Bass answered “we can continue working”  
  
 _I i-insist that you take a break, or at least take it sooner than later.  
  
_ “How about we remove his arm-cannon limb and then take a break” Roll suggested "It's a more complicated part to install so we should at least prepare for it”  
  
The group all agreed. Rhythm laid back down onto the worktable as Mega Man and Bass began to remove the arm-cannon. Dr. Wily however left the room.  
  
“Hey doc?!” Bass shouted “Where you goin'?”  
  
Dr. Wily refused to reply, but soon returned with a spare arm. It was black and yellow, like Bass.  
  
“HEY! That’s my spare arm!” Bass complained.  
  
“Well you’re not using it, right?” Wily retorted.  
  
“What's it for?” Roll asked.  
  
“It's a temporary arm that I install onto Bass so he can still use his other arm when I repair his arm-cannon" Wily explained “I want to see if I can install it on Rhythm as a temporary limb”  
  
_That w-would be nice_.  
  
The two robots soon successfully removed Rhythm’s arm from his body and then separated the cannon portion from the arm itself.  
  
“Alright then” Mega Man exalted as he stretched a bit “shall we all take a breather?”   
  
“You three go ahead into the living room, I'll install the temporary arm real quick and we’ll be with you momentarily”  
  
The three robots left, with Mega Man commenting that he didn't expect Wily's fortress to have the comforts of a normal home in the first place. Rhythm heard Bass shove Rock against the wall in joking derision.  
  
 _Doctor Wily? May I ask you s-something?  
  
_ “Other than the earlier question you had about my motives?” _  
  
_Rhythm weakly nodded. _  
  
Bass told me that you and Mega Man are e-enemies. If so, why are you two w-working together to repair me?_  
  
“First off” Wily began “Mega Man himself didn’t accept doing this at first. Bass told me that he called Roll as a last ditch effort and she convinced Rock to help. I didn’t exactly have the parts I need to repair you so I had to outsource. Within my schemes, I usually design and build several robots at once, along with a large number of smaller ones to hinder Mega Man. I often get these parts illegally, with Bass often helping me retrieve the essential parts, at least when he sees it fits his purposes. Since Mega Man defeated me recently, my part supply was currently low”  
  
_S-so what would you have done if Mega Man r-refused to help and there were no other o-options?_  
  
“Well…since Roll eventually convinced Rock to comply, I didn't really have much of a plan B, or plan…Q at that point. I would either have had Bass steal the essential parts, or have him take take Roll hostage. A price to pay for your welfare and a pair of tasks that Bass would have no problem accomplishing or fulfilling”  
  
_Roll as h-hostage?  
  
_“He’s successfully abducted her before” Wily explained “I'm not one for kidnapping but Bass does have a keen interest in Dr. Light’s little maid bot”  
  
_What kind of interest?  
  
_Dr. Wily frowned “I'd rather not say…”  
  
_Okay…_ _And if those plans f-failed?_  
  
Dr. Wily sighed “I'd probably have to make do with what little parts I had before hand. Your repairs would have… well, sucked if I repaired you along the lines of used parts, Duct Tape and paper clips for wire”  
  
_I w-would still be glad that you made an a-attempt._  
  
“You are quite appreciative of the small things”  
  
_Well… what else can I a-appreciate? In a state like mine, the small victories are worth it._  
  
Dr. Wily smiled a bit and nodded as he finished installing the temporary arm and activated it “Alright, see if that fits”  
  
Rhythm began testing the arm, bending at the elbow and the fingers. He noticed that the arm was a little shorter compared to his left one and looked totally out of place on him.  
  
_It w-will do._  
  
“Okay then. Take the tablet, cane and your Walkman to the living room and see what the other three are doing” Wily spoke “I'm going to prepare some lunch and return with a few E-tanks”  
  
Rhythm nodded, took his belongings, and began to make his way to the other robots were relaxing.


	6. Chapter 6

“Whenever I think of the past, it brings back so many memories”  
-Steven Wright **  
  
** The living room was just as disheveled as the rest of Dr. Wily’s fortress. The couches were covered in a hideous floral print that happened to fit the aesthetic of a grandparent’s home. There was a flat screen TV in the room, which stat on top of an old wooden tube TV. The shelving was full of disorganized DVDs and VHS tapes. The coffee table was covered with faded magazines. Mega Man laid on the couch like he was confessing to a psychiatrist, Roll sat on a small footstool while Bass sat in an antique styled leather chair.  
  
“Rhythm is quite an unusual robot” Mega Man began “His nature of questioning everything is something I’ve never seen in a robot before.”  
  
“Me neither” Bass conceded “but what amazes me is that the questions are incredibly simple but they lead to rather complex answers.”  
  
“Maybe he's been walled up for so long that he's trying to learn about the world around him” Roll suggested “He’s known nothing about Dr. Light, Dr. Wily, ourselves, or the advances in robots since he was made”  
  
“Then why would he ask about our character rather than what has happened in the world?” Bass wondered.  
  
“Maybe he judges our characters rather than our actions?” Roll suggested  
  
 _I ask b-because I lust for k-knowledge and in-information.  
  
_ The three robots turned to the doorway and saw that Rhythm standing by himself. He was holding the cane that Bass found him in the fist of the spare arm that Wily installed. He made his way in, sat by Mega Man’s feet, then positioned his tablet so that the screen could be seen by all. Rhythm smiled slightly.  
  
_It feels g-great to have my legs back. I really can't thank all of you e-enough for what you have done for me._  
  
“Well prepare to thank us even more” Mega Man said with a smile. He reached into his bag and pulled out a different tablet. The screen was a bit bigger than his current one and it had an auxiliary speaker attached to it.  
  
“Heh, Dr. Wily should be happy to get his tablet back” Bass said with a chuckle.  
  
_A-are you sure you w-wanna give me your tablet?  
  
_“It's fine” Mega Man explained “This is an older one that I have, I recently got the latest model of the tablet and I didn't want to see the device go to waste. You’ll get more use out of it compared to some scrapper.”  
  
Mega Man also procured a pair of studio headphones out of the bag and handed them to Rhythm. Bass prepared the tablet as Rhythm put the new headphones over his ears. They were mainly white, with the ear cups being of a crimson red with white borders.  
  
 _T-Thank you very much Mega Man.  
  
_ “What was that about not wanting to waste something?” Dr. Wily asked as he entered the living room, holding a bottle of soda and a tray of food as he made his way to a recliner.  
  
“Mega Man gave Rhythm a few gifts” Bass explained as he returned Dr. Wily’s tablet.  
  
“I see…” Dr. Wily replied as he received put the tablet on a small table next to the recliner “Hey Bass! Why don't you be courteous for once and get the others some E-Tanks!”  
  
Bass rolled his eyes and made his way to the kitchen to grab the desired liquid. Once he returned,  
he then proceeded to remove the cans from the six pack and tossed one to Mega Man (right at his face mind you), Roll, and finally Rhythm. As Bass tossed the can, Rhythm's remaining original arm was slow to react, causing the can to crash on to the floor behind him.  
  
_Sorry Bass… I’m a bit slow with r-reacting…  
_  
Bass just shrugged as he took another E-tank off the six pack and slid it on the coffee table, having it stop in front of Rhythm. Rhythm then took the can and opened it with his temporary arm.  
  
 _Excuse me Mega Man… I’ve been h-hearing stuff about a town called Olive… what h-happened there?  
  
_Mega Man took a deep breath “Sniper Joes attacked the town… at least twelve people were killed…most of the fatalities were the underprepared police force, but one of my creator’s students was also killed… Heather Kijn. Her son disappeared a few days ago before the attack”  
  
_S-she has a son?_  
  
Rhythm was visibly shaking as Rock spilled the details.  
  
“Yes, she did. A charming little boy…” Rock weakly smiled “he kinda looks like you; fluffy brown hair, blue eyes, but a bit tanner than you. He also has a facial scar on the right side of his face, but it never seemed to bring him down at all”  
  
_H-how did he disappear?  
  
_Rock shrugged “I don’t know… I was more curious about Blues”  
  
_Blues? Who’s B-Blues?  
  
_“A lone wolf of a robot” Bass answered.  
  
“He’s more of a lone wolf than you are, Bass” Dr. Wily quipped.  
  
Bass rolled his eyes “Anyway… he’s a vigilante who wants to curb robot threats such as Sniper Joes and also is a freedom fighter for robot betterment”  
  
_Who m-made him?_  
  
“We don’t know” Dr. Wily answered “I was the first to find him, but he left me soon after he realized my intentions…”  
  
_I see… and who are the S-Sniper Joes?  
  
_“The Joes were originally mass produced robots that Dr. Light designed” Roll replied.  
  
“Then Dr. Dumbass here decided to weaponize them” Bass jibbed as he pointed to Dr. Wily “They later became radicalized drones who want to remove the world of free will… especially humans. They see robots like Mega Man, Blues, and even I as threats to their cause”  
  
_W-would they go after me? I-I’m no f-freedom fighter, I’m not a human…  
  
_“They’d probably go after you too Rhythm…” Mega Man answered with a sigh “they’re a living hell to robots just as much to humans, and robots already have a lot on their plate”  
  
_W-what do you mean Rock?  
  
_ “Being a normal robot isn’t a pleasant experience” Rock began “In most cases, a company purchases a robot to fill a necessary position and are expected to not receive any thanks or gratitude for what they’ve done. All of us, saving Wily because he’s a human, tend to have it better because we look like humans. We can emotionally connect with people. They respect us if they don’t fear us.”  
  
“With most robots, you can usually obviously tell that they are a robot as they normally have metal faces and or limbs” Bass added “These type of robots are more common because they’re cheaper to produce and buy. They get worn down by their occupations and many owners replace them instead of repairing them. I've talked to some of these bots and they want to shut themselves down, but can’t because of the third robot law. ‘A robot must protect their own existence’, but that only comes after the first two laws, so it’s not the top priority.”  
  
_I c-considered killing myself a few times in that d-dark and damp alcove._  
  
The already depressing tone of the conversation took a nosedive as soon as Rhythm admitted this fact.  
  
“Why didn’t you?” Roll asked “Was it because of the laws?”

Rhythm shook his head.  
  
 _N-no… it’s because I-I kept hoping for s-someone to find me… I kept hoping that I could e-eventually get out myself…I w-wanted to go to a b-better world than one I had left… but that doesn’t seem to be the case…if a robot s-started with any type of p-passion for their work before they began, your d-descriptions make it seem like the ‘soullessness’ of machines are not a p-programmed aspect, but something that is learned or calibrated by the c-circumstances a robot lives through…  
  
_Rhythm hung his head low, shaking more loudly.  
  
_Dad told me that the world would be b-better for robots in the future. That we’d live in h-harmony and happy t-together…  
  
_ “May I ask as to why you care about the happiness of robots?” Roll inquired, shaking slightly herself.  
  
_My r-robotic f-father said that he knew his life would end at some point. He didn't know how, when, o-or why; but he knew for c-certain that his death time was limited. I do know that I died before he d-did. He also c-constantly told me that he wanted to be the best f-father anyone could have, but he also told me to expect his a-absence at any point. He wanted me as h-happy as I could be before he went, and I wanted to do the same for him._  
  
Drips of water appeared from Rhythm's eyes as the sad facts poured out of the tablet. Roll took a napkin and cleaned Rhythm's eyes.  
  
“I've never seen a robot cry before” Dr. Wily observed.  
  
“Then again” Bass caustically began “I don't recall ever seeing YOU cry.”  
  
Dr. Wily sighed as he got up from his seat. “Let Rhythm calm down for a bit and then we’ll go back to working on the repairs”  
  
The scientist left the room and Bass began to follow, with Mega Man soon joining the two. In the living room, Rhythm was still sitting with Roll.  
  
“I can understand why your memories are so p-precious to you. They are so strong and full of emotion, even though they have both happy and sad aspects to them” Roll said with a sigh “It’s a shame that a robot's memory can be wiped instantly…”  
  
Rhythm smiled as the wiping continued.  
  
“You're b-beautiful Rhythm. Anyone could just look at you and think that you are just a hodgepodge of scattered parts and programming, but your heart is one of the most beautiful things I've seen in a robot. Your internal beauty makes the fact that someone would want to dispose you more wretched… y-you remind me of a robot I once knew my self…”  
  
_You're beautiful too._  
  
Roll continued to wipe Rhythm's eyes and then left to help the others repair the arm, leaving Rhythm alone. He was feeling enlightening euphoria pulse through his circuitry from Roll’s touches and comments. As he was about to get up from the seat, he noticed Mega Man's bag. Inside, he found a book.  
  
_“The Return of the Gadfly: Questions Upon Questions”. Why would Mega Man buy a paper book rather than a digital copy?_  
  
Rhythm opened the book and read to himself as he listened to another cassette tape.  
  
As Roll returned to the workshop, she found that Bass and Mega Man were working on the cannon part of the arm while Dr. Wily worked on the other part of the arm. She approached the two enemies, and noticed that their arm cannons were open and comparing them to Rhythm's.  
  
“What are you two doing?” Roll asked.  
  
“We're trying to figure out what the circuitry configuration for the arm cannon is based off of” Mega Man replied.  
  
"Rhythm has a very unique system” Bass added “the circuitry in the cannon is not intended for...common application.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Roll asked.  
  
“It’s not for combat” Rock answered “At least its not meant for what Bass and I go through.”  
  
“We're going to make it weapons grade so that it is more effective in active situations” Bass explained.  
  
Rock scratched his head “What I don’t understand is why a robot like Rhythm would only have the bare minimum components?”  
  
“It's not _that_ hard to understand” Bass replied "Whoever made Rhythm obviously wanted to focus on his humanity rather than his mechanical strengths.”  
  
“In that case, maybe Rhythm doesn't need the arm cannon” Roll suggested “...maybe he just needs the arm.”  
  
“I would love to agree with you Roll,” Dr. Wily spoke as he approached Roll and the others “but considering the shape that Rhythm is in, I think that it's best to give him a way to defend himself from enemies.”  
  
Roll nodded as she joined the other two robots repairing the cannon part of the arm. As the work progressed, Roll over heard grumbling from Dr. Wily.  
  
“Robot’s having it worse than humans…” Wily muttered “What that wretched piece of scrap _doesn't_ know is that your average human has it just as bad as your average robot. ‘No one cares about robots! We’re just thrown away and scrapped for new robots!’ Well you fail to understand how the _humans_ feel! They hate robots because they look at your kind as the reason their life is so bad”  
  
“Dr. Wily” Roll unenthusiastically spoke “I can hear you”  
  
The scientist shut himself up, but Roll made her way over to Dr. Wily.  
  
“You meant all that, didn’t you?”  
  
“Yeah I meant that!” Wily bitterly replied.  
  
“Then why don’t you say that in front of Rhythm?” Roll coldly asked “Why don’t you go tell him the truth about how bad it is for both robots and humans?!”  
  
“If I did that, I’d be giving him another reason to feel bad! I don’t want to vilify him, and I’m certain that neither you nor the rest of us want to either. After all he’s been through, making him feel worse is such a _fantastic_ idea, isn’t it?”  
  
Roll understood the sarcasm and actually willingly joined Wily with his repairs “Can I confess something?”  
  
“Why don’t you confess to Rock or Bass?”  
  
“Well… Rock only knows part of the fact, while Bass would get jealous with the fact” Roll admitted “I once knew a robot named Rhythm, he looked a lot like this Rhythm but they can’t be the same robot. He was a charming and kind robot, but after he decided to become weaponized after an incident with some unknown robot, we stopped seeing each other. When I heard from Bass say the name Rhythm, I had to know if this Rhythm was the one I knew…”  
  
“And is this Rhythm the robot you once knew?”  
  
Roll frowned as she shook her head and Dr. Wily sighed in understanding.  
  
“Well if it’s any consolation, Bass has his eyes on you” The doc said with a smirk.  
  
As Rhythm entered the workshop, Roll gave Dr, Wily a firm slap to the face.  
  
_D-Did I disturb something?  
  
_“No Rhythm… _ow_ …” Dr. Wily replied “I just said something I shouldn’t have.” _  
  
_Rhythm shrugged and quietly made his way to a chair in the corner. He listened to music with the headphones that Mega Man gave him and just watched the four silently.  
  
“Rhythm,” Dr. Wily began “May I ask _you_ a question?”  
  
_M-Me?  
  
_ Dr. Wily rolled his eyes “No, the set of socket wrenches on the wall. _Of course I mean you!_ ”  
  
 _Sure, g-go ahead.  
  
_ Dr. Wily stopped his repairs and turned to Rhythm “As you know, I wish to rule the world. I may not have defined my purpose or motive yet, but that is beside the point. Let's say that, for some vague and implausible reason, you rule the world. What you did to obtain this power, what the people think of you, and the condition of the world is unimportant. What I want to know is, what would you do? And, as a bonus, since you are a robot we'll make you immortal.”  
  
Rhythm stood in silence as he let the details sink in.  
  
_To be h-honest, c-control of the world doesn’t interest me. If I was in that s-situation, I would find myself in a bind. I wouldn’t want the power, but I wouldn’t want my powers being abused by the wrong person. I would be r-regretting my position but d-dutifully leading none the less._  
  
Dr. Wily starred at Rhythm, dumbfounded, and then he frowned. Wily began thinking to himself that maybe he just wanted to dominate the world just so that he could say that he did, and nothing more. He could only hope that he didn’t waste his time in trying to reach said goal.


	7. Chapter 7

"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently"  
-Henry Ford  
  
Work on the segments Rhythm's arm slowly progressed throughout the day. The repairmen often asked each other for opinions during the repair, trying to exactly understand what happened to the Rhythm. At that point, Rhythm had stopped asking the others questions and just watched everyone work. Occasionally, he would stop for a moment to change out his cassette tape. He would look through the collection that he brought into the lab with him, pick out a tape, and replace it with the one that was already in the player. The process was so simple, but Rhythm committed it with an astonishing grace, almost hypnotic.  
  
During one point during the repair, Bass got up from his position to grab a fresh part from one of the large cases that Mega Man and Roll brought. As he did so, he passed Rhythm and he caught a glance of the fragile robot and noticed that his weak smile had turned into a well-established frown.  
  
Bass turned to the others "Do you mind if I take a break? I think that Rhythm could use a little company for a bit."  
  
"Go right ahead Bass, he’s your 'toy'" Mega Man replied with a smirk.  
  
Bass groaned as he put the part on the worktable before making his way over to Rhythm. "Hey Rhythm, would you like to take a tour of the fortress?"  
  
 _I w-wouldn’t mind.  
  
_ Bass and smiled as he helped Rhythm get up and the two left the workshop.  
  
"Let's see..." Bass pondered "you've already seen the workshop, the living room, my bedroom,…you don't really need to see the bathrooms...where can I take you?"  
  
Bass’s eyes eventually directed their attention to Rhythm’s Walkman.  
  
"Say Rhythm, did you ever consider where I got the Walkman from?"  
  
 _No, I haven't. It never was a p-pressing matter, but I am c-curious as to where you got it.  
  
_ Bass smiled robot took the fragile robot’s hand and led him down the hallway.  
  
 _Where are you taking me?  
  
_ "The Scrap Room" Bass answered.  
  
The humming of electric components pulsing through the building and the metallic footsteps of the two robots echoed through the halls as the two robots traversed through the corridors.  
  
 _Bass…?  
  
_ "Yes Rhythm?"  
  
 _W-what did R-rock mean when he said that I’m your “toy”?  
  
_ Bass sighed "He’s just being disparaging to me…"  
  
 _H-How so?  
  
_ "Well, the car I brought you here is one of my belongings that I've referred to as one of my toys. I don't really need a car, because I can fly and go anywhere I need to with out a car, but I got it to ‘Play’ with rather than use for a practical purpose."  
  
I-I’m not your "toy"… am I?  
  
Bass shook his head "No, you’re more like… a little brother" he said with a smile as he rubbed Rhythm’s hair, which made the pale bot chuckle.  
  
 _You’re like a giant child y-yourself!  
  
_ Bass smiled brightly as they stopped at a large door which has a scribbled on sign that read "Scrap Room". As Bass carefully opened the door, a portable radio fell to the floor. He picked it up and placed it onto one of the many piles of electronics that were inside.  
  
 _W-why do you have so many broken electronics?  
  
_ "This is where Dr. Wily and I store stuff that we can possibly salvage for robot part" Bass answered as the two slowly entered the room "We've repurposed wiring, capacitors, plastics, microphones, speakers, servos, circuit boards, and all kinds of assorted parts. However, Dr. Wily has discovered that most of what has been collected in here is of such a low quality that we can’t justify using them in robots. Now it just lays in ruin."  
  
Rhythm picked up an old game controller while Bass picked up the reel of a reel-to-reel player.  
  
 _Does this room s-serve any other p-purpose than gathering dust?  
  
_ "Gathering dust is this rooms only purpose these days" Bass confessed "Sometimes when I’m bored I just rummage through a random box of parts to see what I can find. Most of the time the boxes haven’t been opened at all. Anything that I find particularly interesting, I bring to my bedroom, or my hideout."  
  
 _You have a h-hideout?  
  
_ Bass nodded "Yeah, I do. It's my personal escape for when I need to hide from Mega Man or escape from the inane ramblings of Dr. Wily."  
  
 _So what do you with the s-stuff you find?  
  
_ "I tinker with them. I’m currently working on trying to build a smaller version of my robot wolf."  
  
 _You have a r-robot wolf?!_  
  
Bass nodded “Yes, his name is Treble. Dr. Wily built him along with me to help increase my strength and abilities. He also exists to be the anthesis of Mega Man’s robot dog named Rush."  
  
 _I see... where is T-Treble right now?  
  
_ "He's at the hideout right now, probably wondering where the hell I am and why I haven't fed him" Bass said with a chuckle. "You see Rhythm, working on little projects here and my hideout help kill time when I have nothing else to do. And these days, I happen to have A LOT of time on my hands."  
  
 _Well… a well m-maintained robot can have all the time in the world.  
  
_ "True" Bass said with a nod "but its what we do with the time we have is what matters."  
  
Rhythm nodded and then began to look through the scattered collection of electronics himself, hoping to find more cassette tapes to listen to. Bass began to help, using a pair of salt buckets to toss their findings into. Along with the tapes, they started to find large number of CD's amongst the clutter so Bass searched for a working CD player so that Rhythm could listen to them as well. The rummaging took about a hour, culminating in the two robots making their way to Bass's bedroom. Rhythm carried the CD player while Bass rested the heavy buckets on his shoulders. As the two traveled to Bass’s bedroom, Rhythm happened to notice a wall of pictures that happened to have Dr. Wily amongst groups of robots on them. The first photo in the series had Mega Man, Roll, and some unfamiliar scientist on it. The others were without Mega Man and Roll, and one photo had another unknown scientist on it with what appeared to be his daughter. Bass started to appear in the later photos in the series. Next to the wall of pictures was a hallway. In the hallway, there were eight doors that seemed to be recently vacated. A sign hung above the entrance to the hallway.  
  
 **FIGHT IN THEIR MEMORY  
  
** _What are these p-photographs?  
  
_ Bass frowned as he put the buckets down “These are photos for each set of Robot Masters Dr.Wily has involved himself with. Dr. Light and Dr. Wily worked together on the first set of masters, and that is when Dr. Wily turned against the world."  
  
 _Where are these robot m-masters now?  
  
_ “Nothing more than a memory” Bass sighed as he entered empty the hall, his tone sounding regretful "These robots became or were created to be threats to humanity, so Mega Man defeated them. The Robot Masters, at least from the second generation on, used to live here until they were sent to do Dr. Wily's bidding. After they left these rooms, they never returned" Bass then touched one of the doors, hanging his head “They weren’t the best of company. I never liked them and they never liked me and called me a waste of space time and time again."  
  
 _W-Why did they think that of you?  
  
_ "I was built with the express purpose of destroying Mega Man” Bass coldly answered as he turned to Rhythm "They had the same goal as I did, but I was specifically made to achieve that goal. When I failed, they mocked me."  
  
Rhythm noticed that Bass's fists were tensing as he hung his head and shook slightly.  
  
 _W-what's the matter Bass?  
  
_ "I don't know who to be angry at!" Bass shouted "Should I blame Mega Man for being the obstacle in my prime directive? Should I blame Dr. Wily for using the robot masters in a mission grounded in suicide? Or the Robot Masters for treating me like they did?"  
  
Rhythm shook too, and slowly made his way over to the stressing bot to give him a hug.  
  
"What's wrong with me?" Bass asked as he hugged back "Am I just a victim of circumstance?"  
  
 _You just h-happen to be a survivor who is on the losing side, scarred by the various defeats and misfortunes you have endured. I u-understand that you want to find a central figure to blame for this m-misfortune, but it is just as easy to be angry at the s-situation. H-however, this anger and s-sadness will continue unless someone tries to change it.  
  
_ Bass rubbed Rhythm’s hair and let out a deep breath.  
  
 _F-Feeling better?  
  
_ Bass nodded, and then left the hall to pick up the buckets of music "I'm better. Cmon Rhythm, let's go bring these to my room."  
  
Rhythm nodded and the two soon arrived in Bass’s room. As Bass set the buckets of music on the floor, Rhythm caught sight of a pad of paper and a pen.  
  
 _Hey Bass, could I use that note pad? I would like to try drawing for a bit in the workshop.  
  
_ Bass smiled as he quietly gave Rhythm the pad and a couple of pens before the two returned to the workshop. Dr. Wily and Mega Man were now working together on the cannon while Roll was on the arm.  
  
"Hello Bass,"Mega Man spoke "we're almost done with repairing the cannon. We’ll probably be able to install this tomorrow."  
  
Bass just stared at the two, sighing as he reminded himself that it was the situation to upset with.  
  
Rhythm continued to listen to music as he began to draw on the notepad that Bass provided. It was during this series of repairs when Dr. Wily realized that he was working alongside with Mega Man, and that Bass was working alongside Roll. Both pairs bore smiles when they focused on their work, but when one glanced at the other, the smile quickly turned into a frown.  
  
"Do you still not trust me Mega Man?" Dr. Wily asked.  
  
Mega Man sighed "I don't think that I'll be able to completely trust you after all that has happened between us…"  
  
"Same here" Wily admitted "You could as easily have told the authorities about Bass’s discovery and your suspicions about what is happening here. You don't trust me because you are smack dab in the middle of the bear's den. There’s also the fact that I could ruin your reputation by revealing our little project to the world."  
  
The doc seemed smug about his statement, but then his expression soon became blank.  
  
After another hour or two of repairs, an alert came from Mega Man’s internal systems.  
  
"Lemme guess" Bass began, not even looking up from his work "You gotta go now?"  
  
Mega Man nodded "I have another call scheduled with Dr. Light tonight. I want to be there early so he doesn't suspect anything. We'll be back tomorrow, same time as this morning."  
  
Mega Man quickly grabbed his shoulder bag from the living room and rushed out the door with Roll in tow, leaving Rhythm, Bass and Dr. Wily alone with the remains of Rhythm’s arm.  
  
A moment of uncertain silence ensued, with the three trading unsure glances at each other.  
  
"Should we put the arm back together and test it?" Bass asked as a way to break the silence "It’s pretty much completed anyway."  
  
Wily quietly nodded as he moved his part of Rhythm's arm to a work bench before connecting the two halves of the arm.  
  
 _How long will the t-testing take?  
  
_ "Well..." Wily spoke as he scratched his head with a flathead screwdriver "since this particular limb involves weapon components, we have a special room for testing the operation status of said apparatuses. Would you like to see?"  
  
 _No thanks. I'd think that I'd rarely use the c-cannon anyway.  
  
_ Dr. Wily shrugged and smirked as he took the arm to the testing room, leaving the robots by themselves in Wily's lab.  
  
"Say Rhythm," Bass began as he walked over to Rhythm “What were you drawing in the first place?"  
  
Rhythm said nothing as he handed the drawing pad over to Bass.  
  
It was a rather rough image, but the details were rather easy to understand. It was a landscape image of Bass who was standing in front of a gravestone with a bouquet of peace lilies in his right hand.  
  
"Huh…" Bass began "That’s Dr. Wily's grave, isn't it?"  
  
 _I don't think you'd be b-bringing peace lilies to the grave of s-someone you obviously have a-aggression towards.  
  
_ Bass chuckled a bit “No, certainly not... but who's grave is it then?"  
  
 _It could be a-anyone’s grave. It could also be the grave of something that isn't a person, such as an idea or an emotion. I w-wanted to draw Mega Man or even m-myself, but your image was more i-ingrained in my useable memory at the m-moment. The idea is that the inscription on the t-tombstone has a part of us we must remember.  
  
_ "But you drew the image so that no one could see the inscription."  
  
 _W-Well I don't know what part of yourself you would be m-mourning if it left. If I d-drew myself, it would be for my creator and my lost m-memories. For Mega Man...it would be his happiness.  
  
_ "His happiness?"  
  
 _He doesn’t seem h-happy… at all.  
  
_ Bass nodded in earnest agreement "No, he really doesn't. The repeated trials of Dr. Wily, I and others aggressors are experiences that can create a bitter view in a person."  
  
Bass hung his head and leaned against the wall while Rhythm adjusted the volume of his music.  
  
 _"I've seen all good people turn their heads each day  
_ _So satisfied, I'm on my way"  
  
_ "Rhythm…?"  
  
 _Yes Bass?  
  
_ “I’ve been thinking about the Clockwork Orange question you asked me…and I think that I have an answer."  
  
 _You do? W-what’s your answer?  
  
_ "Well…I thought that maybe we could talk about it while we engaged in a secondary activity. Like playing a game."  
  
 _Do you know how to play chess?  
  
_ "Chess?" Bass was surprised by the question, for electronic games had been his forte for a few years now and board games in his mind belonged to the realm of nerds wearing coke bottle glasses... and Auto.  
  
"Well...I do know how to play chess, but I've never played against anyone else, not even with a real chessboard. I’m more of a master at Monopoly myself, but I’m not sure that we have a board."  
  
 _What about the s-scrap room?  
  
_ Bass smiled for a brief moment and quickly made his way to the scrap room, eventually returning with a large stack of old Monopoly games.  
  
"I had to bring a good number of them for I don't know if one particular set has all the pieces."  
  
The two spent fifteen minutes searching for all the essential pieces in the various boxes. Bass made it a point to check that all the properties, Chance, and Community Chest cards were contained inside. The only card that they couldn't find was the "Go Back 3 Spaces" card, which didn’t matter to them. Bass handed a packet of money to Rhythm and presented him with a selection of pieces. Rhythm selected the shoe token, with Bass being the cannon.  
  
 _You first B-Bass.  
  
_ Bass rolled the dice and got a seven, landing on Chance.  
  
"When I considered the options, the answer became clearer as one of them had a backdoor option." Bass then looked at his card, and frowned as moved his piece into Jail as Rhythm began to roll.  
  
 _Oh really? W-what is it?  
  
_ "Well, after some thinking, I realized that the reprogramming option guaranteed freedom. I noticed that the other option still had the possibility of freedom."  
  
Rhythm landed on Community Chest and drew the ‘Pay Hospital Fees’ card.  
  
 _Oh? H-how come?  
  
_ "I could escape from the prison" Bass answered as he rolled the dice, getting a five, and remained in jail.  
  
 _You would take the risk of d-destruction? You would live as a f-fugitive for the rest of your life?  
  
_ Rhythm rolled snake eyes, landed on Income Tax, paid $140, and frowned at his current misfortune.  
  
"It wouldn’t be any different to how I currently live. I have been living life on the lam for many years. A life on the run would be an endurance test, but it wouldn't cease to be an interesting experience."  
  
Bass rolled again, a seven, and handed the dice to Rhythm.  
  
 _Do you fear d-death?  
  
_ "Death?" Bass shook his head "I don’t really fear death, but I often fear of how I might die."  
  
Rhythm rolled a six, landing on the ‘Just Visiting’ portion of Jail.  
  
 _Really? What m-method of death do you fear the most?  
  
_ "Betrayal" Bass spoke as he rolled a nine, remaining in jail. "The method of how I’m betrayed is a moot point, but it’s the people involved that matter. What method do you fear?"  
  
Rhythm rolled a two, landing on Electric Company, and bought it before rolling again.  
  
 _For me, it would be any situation in which I am i-isolated.  
  
_ Rhythm drew a heavy sigh and Bass petted the frail bot's shoulder in response.  
  
"I understand Rhythm… I can tell that the fears that you have are deeply rooted in your situation."  
  
He watched as Rhythm rolled a 5 as a result of him rolling doubles and landed on Community Chest. He picked up one of the yellow cards and placed his shoe into the jail with Bass.  
  
 _I guess we’re both in the s-same boat…  
  
_ Bass chuckled slightly as he rolled a twelve and made his way to Chance, he picked up a "Get Out of Jail Free" card. He considered putting on the table as a bargaining chip if he reentered jail, but instead handed it to Rhythm.  
  
 _W-why?  
  
_ "I helped you escape from the mansion, I feel like it’s my duty to help you out."  
  
 _Why do you feel it’s your d-duty?  
  
_ Bass rolled an 8, landing on "Go To Jail" and promptly moved his piece to the square.  
  
"Some people can’t escape from their situation on their own, some people need help."  
  
 _I e-escaped on my own, didn’t I?  
  
_ Rhythm rolled the dice and landed on Free Parking.  
  
"You needed help. You needed me, Rock, Roll, and even Dr. Dumbass" Bass said with a smirk as he rolled doubles and landed on free parking with Rhythm "Can I say something?"  
  
 _Of c-course Bass.  
  
_ Bass rolled again, landing on Marvin Gardens before he drew a heavy sigh "I’ve been reading the dialogue you've been having, and I’m a bit jealous."  
  
 _J-Jealous?  
  
_ "From what I have read, you had a wonderful relationship with your father. He saw you as a son of his own flesh and blood rather than a machine made with metal and plastics. I’ve always felt that I’ve been Dr. Dumbass’s tool rather than an extension of his being."  
  
 _I can tell by the ways you r-refer to Dr. Wily.  
  
_ "Yeah," Bass said with a nod “I know that I’m not subtle about it. Wily has made more than 80 robots and I’m one of the few that has been able to stick around. I’m almost like a monument that represents his failures, and Dr. Dumbass sees me as a failure in of myself."  
  
 _You’re not a f-failure.  
  
_ “I _am_ a failure" Bass bitterly confessed “I am a failure in both regards to Dr. Wily and the purpose I was programmed with."  
  
 _P-purpose? You don’t need to follow the purpose you were p-programmed with. Your rebellious b-behavior can help you make your own purpose. You don’t need Dr. Wily to tell you what to do, and you don’t do what he tells you to do a-anyway.  
  
_ Bass smiled and rubbed Rhythm’s hair "Thanks Rhythm."  
  
 _You’re welcome…are you gonna buy that property?  
  
_ Bass shook his head “I never buy the yellow properties, especially not Olive Gardens."  
  
 _That’s Marvin Gardens Bass…  
  
_ Bass chuckled and handed Rhythm the dice, the two continuing the game into the evening.


	8. Chapter 8

“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.”  
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Mega Man and Roll had returned back to Light Labs soon after leaving Wily's fortress. Mega Man was in his bedroom for Dr. Light to call him, starring at the clock in the bottom corner of the computer screen. Roll was in the kitchen, preparing E for her brother and herself.  
  
“Waiting for your doctor's appointment?” Roll joked as she entered Rock's room with a pair of E-tanks.  
  
Rock just chuckled as he opened up the E-tank and sipped it “I am, at least the bill won’t be astronomical”  
  
Roll sweetly giggled as she opened her own tank “You know Rock, I never realized until now that Dr. Wily’s place was less than a half an hour away from our home…should we be worried?"  
  
Mega Man shook his head “Considering that I have defeated Dr. Wily more than ten times, we shouldn't worry.”  
  
Just then, an alert went off in the top right corner of the screen indicating that Dr. Light was making a connection. Roll quickly left the bedroom and closed the door so that her brother could talk privately. Mega Man took a sip and sighed as he accepted the video call.  
  
“Hello Rock” Dr. Light spoke, his face appearing on the screen. He was back in his hotel room again, sitting at the desk.  
  
"Hello dad, how are you tonight?”

“I’m doing well, Heather’s wake was today…”  
  
“Oh… how was it?”  
  
“It was quiet and solemn” Dr. Light replied with a tinge of sadness “A large number of people that mourned for her were mourning for other people as well due to there being other wakes in the funeral home during the day. Her body had no evidence of the injuries she sustained nor the autopsy preformed on her by the forensics team.”  
  
Mega Man felt a shiver up his spine, instantly visualizing the scene.  
  
“So Rock, what did you do today?" Dr. Light asked “I hope that you had a more enjoyable and less emotional time than I did.”  
  
“Well I've been relaxing” Rock lied, making sure to sound as plausible as possible “I watched some TV, played some video games with Roll and we both took Rush for a walk.”  
  
“That’s good…” Dr. Light responded, his tone changing to less enthused tone “Rock? Have you heard or seen anything relating to Heather's son?”  
  
“No, I haven’t” Rock honestly replied “Have you heard anything about him?”  
  
Dr. Light shook his head as well “Nothing specific or reputable… I’ve heard some… rumors.”

“Really? What kind of rumors?”  
  
Dr. Light sighed as he leaned back in his chair “During the wake, I heard from a police officer that Heather’s son had been associating himself with the Sniper Joes that attacked that fateful day…”  
  
“WHAT?!” Rock shouted “Why would he do that?!”  
  
“I don’t know Rock… but it made me think of something” Dr. Light quietly admitted “It’s something that I have never wanted to ever ask you but I feel like I should due to this rumor.”  
  
Rock tensed up a bit “Really…What is your question then?”  
  
“Considering Heather’s son, and also considering the obviously unstable relationship between Bass and Dr. Wily, I have to wonder if you would ever… rebel against me.”  
  
Rock froze up for a moment, the question caught him off guard. Had someone told him about his recent association with Dr. Wily?  
  
“Dr. Light,” Rock began “I have no reason to rebel against you, right?”  
  
“Well, what about Blues?” Dr. Light asked, his voice raising a bit “Doesn’t his background interest you?”  
  
“It does!" Rock shouted, almost peaking the mic on his computer “You seem to know a lot about him! So why won’t you tell me?!”  
  
Dr. Light rested his head on his hand “Rock… it’d be too much for you to handle.”  
  
Rock blinked in astonishment “Too much for me to handle?! Dr. Light, I’ve faced against Wily and his schemes so often that I could probably defeat him and his robot masters with my eyes closed, I think I can handle a few facts about Blues considering what I’ve done!”  
  
“Rock” Dr. Light sternly began “You don't need to know.”

“BUT I WANT TO KNOW!” Rock shouted as he smacked his keyboard “There’s so much I don’t know that I want to discover!"

Dr. Light sighed ”As your father…"

“My father? You’re playing _that_ card?! You don't treat me like your son anymore! You used to treat me like a son around the time I was first made and before Wily first betrayed you” Rock began to shake and his eyes began to water “You have refused to answer my questions for TOO LONG. Playing the _father_ nor the _creator_ card are going to satiate me. I’m going to find out the answers whether you want me to or not!”

“Wait!” Dr. Light begged. Rock froze, and the scientist lowered his head “Rock...I know that I have been keeping things in the dark...and I do recognized that after all these years you have matured greatly. I’ve come to understand you wish to know more.”

“Well what are you going to do?” Mega Man asked, arms crossed and glaring.

Dr. Light sighed "When I get back from Olive, we'll talk face to face. Will that be okay?”

Mega Man nodded slightly and uncrossed his arms “Okay then…but may I ask one question before I go?"

“Sure Rock” Dr. Light answered with a nod.

Mega Man hesitated, taking a deep breath before asking “If I happened to turn against you, not that I ever would and this is just for discussion's sake, would you still be proud of the good I did before?”

Dr. Light was silent for a long moment “I need time to consider that question, but may I ask you a question in return?”

Mega Man nodded.

“Have you ever wished to commit some crime? Some horrible deed or action?”

Mega Man hung his head “The capacity and desires to do wrong are inherent human traits. People oppress them for the benefit of society as a while. If I am to be like a human...I would be able to have the capacity to commit some malicious deed.”

Dr. Light hung his head “Alright then, good night Rock.”

“Good night dad.”

Dr. Light ended the call which allowed Mega Man to lie back into his desk chair. It had been a while since he had a dispute with Dr. Light, and he was slowly realizing that one of the reasons for these flared emotions were due working on Rhythm and the environment that he had been enduring. If Mega Man had not been working on Rhythm with Dr. Wily and Bass, answering Dr. Light's question would have been an automatic no. It wasn't the fact that someone asked him whether he wanted to do wrong, but the fact he had to consider the answer.

After a period of contemplation, Mega Man eventually left the bedroom to get the philosophy book he got the other day “Roll, could you come here for a moment?”

Roll, along with their dog Rush, entered the living room “Huh? What is it brother?”

“Rhythm has made me ask questions and I want to find the answer. Will you help me with some of them?”

Roll smiled and nodded, sitting at the couch while Rush laid at their feet.

Meanwhile at Wily’s Fortress, Bass had finished playing Monopoly with Rhythm and was now rummaging through the medicine cabinet in Dr. Wily's bathroom to find something to make the scientist fall asleep. He wanted to be certain that the doc wouldn’t find him conversing with Blues that evening.  
  
“Cold medicine, fever medicine, painkillers, decongestant, arthritis medication, Sildenafil …Ah ha!”

He pulled out a bottle labeled and examined the label.

**_EZ-Sleep: Non-Prescription_ **

Bass took the bottle, passed his bedroom where Rhythm was doodling on the pad Bass provided, and made his way to the kitchen. Once inside, he began to search for a proper delivery method of the sleep aid. As Bass prepared the correct dosage, he noticed that the medicine was a red color. Putting the liquid in Milk would turn the concoction red, and coffee would probably counteract the desired effect. Bass looked in a cabinet, and found substantial collection of wine.  
  
To the robot's surprise, one of the bottles on the wine rack had a tag on it that read ‘To be consumed in the celebration of my victory’  
  
“Like that would ever happen” Bass said with a smirk.

The bottle with the tag was labeled _Delicia de Albañil: Fine Spanish Amontillado 19~~._ Bass put the bottle back and took out a fortified wine called _Hindsight_ to replace it _._ As he began to pour the medicine in a wine glass, a thought came to him.  
  
“Wait...can this be consumed with alcohol?”  
  
Bass then grabbed the medicine bottle and looked at the label on the back.  
  
**_DO NOT CONSUME WITH ALCOHOL!!_  
  
**“Crap” Bass said with a sigh “This could kill Dr. Wily. Sure, it's an appealing prospect but explaining what happened to Dr. Wily to the others would be impossible to lie about convincingly.” **  
**  
He poured the medicine dose he collected down the skink and looked at the wine bottle, considering a new plan. After much thought, Bass decided that he would just give the wine to Dr. Wily without a glass so that he would drink it all from the container. Bass then removed the twist off cap and brought the bottle to Dr. Wily, who was still testing the arm cannon in the lab.  
  
“Hello doc,” Bass spoke “How is the weapon testing coming along?”  
  
“I've just finished the last test” Wily answered as he sealed a panel up “All the components are operational and we'll be ready to install the arm back on Rhythm tomorrow morning.”  
  
Bass approached the detached arm and flicked the barrel with his index finger which resulted in a dulled *ding* noise.

“How is the cannon's strength?” He asked.

  
“Admittedly it’s on the weak side” Wily lamented “It can pack a punch and leave a dent on most common materials, but it would take more shots than normal to defeat a robot like a Robot Master” he then noticed the bottle in Bass’s hand “What is that in your hand?"  
  
“Its some wine I found in the kitchen. I thought since that we all worked quite hard today that you deserved to indulge yourself”He answered as he presented the bottle “I don't know anything about wine so I hope I made a good decision.”  
  
Wily looked at the label “ _Hindsight_ isn’t that good of a wine but it’ll get you drunk fast.” He pondered the selection before shrugging as he unscrewed the cap and swigged directly from the container, which was what Bass had hoped for. The robot then left the room to leave the Doc to intoxicate himself and returned to his chamber to check on Rhythm. The frail robot was still drawing, with pencil shavings and crumpled paper lying around the floor around where he sat. The drawing pad was on the floor, and Rhythm was now writing in a smaller book.  
  
“What are we working on now?” Bass inquired.  
  
_I'm w-writing down as much as I r-remember. If my memory is lost, it could be r-reestablished manually._  
  
Bass tilted his head in uncertainty “Do you think that will work?”

_It's worth t-trying. I've also been writing about you, Dr. Wily, Mega Man, and Roll._  
  
“Really…May I take a look?” Bass asked, approaching Rhythm to take a peek.  
  
Rhythm quickly hid the pages of the book against his body.  
  
_No! I mean, I would like to keep this p-private. Like a journal or a diary._  
  
Bass shrugged as he leaned against the frame of the door “Alright then, I understand. I won't intrude on your opinions.”  
  
Rhythm smiled as he closed the book. He carefully crawled into Bass's bed, inserted a new tape into his Walkman, and began to fall asleep. Bass smiled as he attached a power cable to Rhythm and quietly exited the room to make his way outside.  
  
As he exited the fortress, Bass walked passed workshop and quickly discovered that Dr. Wily had already consumed the wine and was sprawled across the floor with the last few drops of the beverage having been spilled onto the ground.  
  
“Wow doc, I never knew you were such a lightweight” Bass said with a chuckle. He then made his way outside, where a soft drizzle began to fall.

“Nice to see you up and about” A voice spoke.  
  
Bass turned, and saw the shaded and scarfed robot standing in the light of the full moon. Unlike last time, he wasn’t wearing his black trench coat despite the fact that it was raining.  
  
“Hello again Proto Man”  
  
“Hello Bass, is Dr. Wily out?”  
  
“Dr. Dumbass is out cold. I gave him some alcohol and it appears to have put him to sleep almost instantly. His condition should give us plenty of time for you to take a short look at the robot”  
  
The two quietly entered the fortress, and slowly entered Bass's chamber where Rhythm rested. Blues began delicately looking over the bot while Bass stood in the doorway and keeping guard.  
  
“Talk quietly” Bass remarked “He's listening to music so he won't enter a panic state that wastes his energy. Due to the injuries that Rhythm has sustained, he loses power when ever he is in silence”  
  
Blues turned to Bass “Really? How did this happen?”

Bass shrugged “No clue…I personally think it's because he’s been taunted with temporary power when he was sealed away. It could also be exacerbated due to the fact that no one could possibly detect him”  
  
“I see" Blues replied as he turned back to Rhythm “Is it repairable?”  
  
Bass shook his head “I personally doubt it. Therapy might possibly help him but it's unlikely that anything can be done”  
  
“Such a shame…” Blues spoke, observing the cracked gem that was set into Rhythm’s chest. “Do you know who made him?”  
  
Bass shrugged again “We don't know. A lot of his information is corrupted and unreadable, but we are pretty certain that a robot created him”  
  
“What makes you believe that?”  
  
“Well when we were looking over Rhythm’s internals, we found that his hard drive had an engraving on it that read ‘The Prometheus's Prometheus’. A human building a robot would be making a Prometheus, so the creation of a Prometheus like Rhythm would indicate that a robot made him”  
  
Proto Man eventually noticed that Rhythm’s tablet that was resting on the bedside table. He picked up the tablet and began to read the dialogue that was being transcribed onto the device.  
  
“ _Come with me little bot, I would like to have a private talk with you while I get myself something from the basement”_  
  
_Downstairs? Are you sure?_  
  
“ _What I desire is best kept in cool, dark places”_  
  
_But sir, I really should get back to my father, and I need energy. I'm running low._  
  
_“Don’t fret, you should have enough energy to come with me and return to your maker”_  
  
_It's quite unnerving down here, where's the light?_  
  
“Are you fearful? Come now, let's not be foolish little bot”  
  
I feel weak...

_“Then you must rest”_  
  
AHHHH!!! What are you doing? Why are you remov-ing my arm?

_“HOLD STILL. I need to repair something”_  
  
S-top that, you’re h-h-hurting me!

_“SILENCE YOU MACHINE!”  
  
-ERROR_VOICE_BOX_NEEDS_REPAIR  
  
-I can't talk!  
  
“It's for the good of everyone”  
  
-L-et me out o-f here! Don'-t clos-e me in! I c-an’t see!  
  
“Now then, that should take care of you. No one will find you. Not even your ‘father’”  
  
-I c-an't s-ee any-thin-g! Some-one he-lp! D-AD-DY!  
  
_Proto Man felt a chill as he read what appeared on the screen, and Bass approached from behind him to read the frightening text. The screen lulled on the words, creating a horrid image for Bass and Proto Man. _  
  
“My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so”  
  
_The text on the tablet slowly began to resume. _  
  
“I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them”  
_  
Blues remained stone faced as he read the tablet. With the visage of the victim that was described in the text right next to him, he couldn’t understand who would be so cruel to such a kind looking robot.  
  
“What is he thinking?” Proto Man asked.  
  
“He's probably having a dream” Bass answered, putting the tablet back onto the bedside table. “Dreams that are being mixed with the fractured memories of his past, if I were to guess.”  
  
“Dreams?” Proto Man asked as he looked at Rhythm's face “has he had any pleasant ones? If he has had only nightmares, those could be more damaging than his physical injuries”  
  
“They're not all nightmares” Bass answered “He has memories of himself and his creator, who he affectionately calls his father.”  
  
Proto Man looked at his feet and sighed “I remember why I left my maker…I feared what he might have done to me, I feared that he would have taken away who I was. I hope that whoever made Rhythm wanted him to be himself and nothing else”  
  
Bass nodded as the two left the chamber, closing the door and leaving Rhythm at peace.  
  
“So Blues” Bass began “what are you gonna do now?”  
  
“I’m going to find Rock, I need to talk to him”  
  
“He needs to talk to you as well” Bass said with a chuckle “Don't go over tonight at least, Mega Man had to make a video call with Dr. Light”  
  
Blues shook his head in astonishment “MEGA MAN HAS BEEN WORKING WITH YOU?!”  
  
“SHHHHH!!!” Bass exclaimed as he covered Blues’s mouth and pressed him agains the wall “I asked for a favor from Roll after Dr. Wily failed to secure parts from Mega Man”  
  
Blues removed Bass’s hand “Fine. Does Dr. Light know about any of this?”  
  
“Well doesn't it seem like a _fantastic_ idea to tell your creator that you’ve been collaborating with ‘the enemy’? Of course he hasn’t! The secret is safe and Dr. Light doesn't know”  
  
“Thank goodness…” Blues replied with a sigh in relief “Well then, I think I should go now...enough information and excitement for one evening”  
  
“Alright then. Mega Man is going to return here tomorrow, so I would suggest waiting until we are done working on Rhythm tomorrow before approaching him”  
  
Proto Man smiled and quietly left the fortress, disappearing into the night. Bass returned his bedroom and began to look overt Rhythm's thoughts.  
  
“ _Rhythm. What's the matter?”  
  
I want to get out of here, and soon. I'm tired of being cooped up here.  
  
“I understand my son. Just wait a few days and we'll be able to go to the convention at The Modern Mansion”  
_  
_You won't showcase me, will you?  
  
“No, you will be my son and nothing more”  
  
_As the information was presented on the screen, Bass picked up a pen and paper and hurriedly dictated Rhythm’s thoughts.  
  
“C’mon Rhythm, reveal your secrets”  
  
Bass continued to scribble on to the pad but he eventually slowed down and collapsed on to the floor in exhaustion.  
  
_Will I get to meet Heather?_  
  
“Of course Rhythm, she’d love to meet you”


	9. Chapter 9

“A sympathetic friend can be quite as dear as a brother”  
-Homer  
  
Bass woke up the following morning discovering that he was lying face first on the floor of his bedroom. In his right hand, he held a sheet of paper that was crumpled around a pen. He shook his head and unwrapped the ball of paper he made last night.  
  
ObsErvati0ns:  
-Was taken to Modern Mansion for some convention  
-Lured downstairs when weak on power  
-Experienced Sabotage  
-Treated like a son by creator  
-Not exhibited at the convention  
  
Any other information that Bass happened to write down had devolved into unreadable scribbles. As he rubbed his head, Bass turned to his alarm clock he saw that it read 7:30 AM. Turning to the bed, he saw that Rhythm was still in bed. Bass slowly got off the floor and made his way to the workshop to grab some E-tanks for himself and Rhythm. One he entered, he noticed Dr. Wily was still asleep on the floor due to last night's drunken intoxication. After grabbing a six pack of E from the fridge, he dragged Wily's body into the bathroom. After undressing him, he placed the drunk doc into the bathroom and turned on the water.  
  
“GAHHH!!!! DAMN IT BASS!!”  
  
Bass chuckled as he took Wily’s clothes to a hamper and made his way back to Rhythm. Dr. Wily’s scream had startled Rhythm enough to wake him, and was shaking in the bed.  
  
_Bass? Is Doctor W-Wily alright?  
  
_“Dr. Wily is fine…” Bass answered as he handed Rhythm a can of E “We'd better get ready for Rock and Roll to arrive. We're reinstalling your arm cannon today.”  
  
Rhythm sipped his E and slowly got out of the bed with Bass's assistance, taking his Walkman and a selection of tapes. The two made their way to the lab and Rhythm sat onto the table in preparation for his repairs. Dr. Wily soon arrived, wearing a bathrobe and a large scowl.  
  
“DAMN IT BASS! YOU HAD TO GIVE ME THE RUDEST OF AWAKENINGS?!”  
  
Bass simply laughed “What? I want you to look your best when Rock and Roll arrive, it's not like they need another reason for them to mock you.”  
  
Dr. Wily groaned as he grabbed a bottle of cold brew coffee from the fridge in the workshop and downed it in one gulp. He then left the lab to get dressed. Bass chuckled as he made his way to a security panel and deactivated the border to allow Mega Man and Roll to arrive.  
  
_What's with Dr. Wily this m-morning?  
  
_“Dr. Wily got drunk last night and I decided to help clean him up” Bass answered as he left the lab to grab a bucket and mop “I gave him some wine so he could enjoy himself for the rest of the evening”  
  
_That's not the only r-reason, is it Bass?_  
  
Bass just simply smirked as he finished mopping up the spilled wine and put the bucket and mop away. A chime then rung through out the facility, indicating that someone had arrived. Bass grabbed a pair of E tanks and made his way to the door. The security feed showed that it was Mega Man and Roll, both of them carrying shoulder bags.  
  
“Good morning Mega Man, good morning Roll” Bass greeted, handing the two a tank each “How was the drive?”  
  
“It was rather uneventful” Roll answered “but Rock was eager to return out of worry that Rhythm might have had something bad installed in him”  
  
“I would like to think that neither of you think that _I_ would do such a thing to Rhythm” Bass spoke as he let the two robots in.  
  
Rock shook his head “No, I'm more worried that Dr. Wily might be touching Rhythm in places that shouldn't be touched”  
  
“And I’m more worried about you phrased that sentence” Roll commented, causing Bass to chuckle.  
  
The three robots entered the lab and saw Rhythm resting on the table, and the doctor absent.  
  
“Where's Dr. Wily?” Roll asked.  
  
"DOCTOR WILY?!” Bass shouted “ROCK AND ROLL ARE HERE!”  
  
“ _ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!”_ Wily yelled, storming into the lab and tightening his tie “I hope you bots all ready to put the arm back on.”  
  
“I hope you’re no longer hungover…” Bass jabbed.  
  
Rock and Bass brought Rhythm's arm over, and placed it onto the work table next to Rhythm's temporary arm.  
  
“No break after were done with this part of the operation” spoke Dr. Wily “We'll need to start work on the other arm and Rhythm's head today.”  
  
 _My...my h-head?_

Rhythm’s body shook upon hearing this fact.  
  
“Are we sure that's safe?” Rock asked “I mean…If we remove the head, he can't hear anything, and if he can't hear anything, he’ll go into the panic state and will drain his power!”  
  
“Calm your short circuits… I have an idea” Dr. Wily replied as absconded from the room.  
  
The other robots looked at each other in confusion until the doctor returned with a Met. It was still the same construction helmet with a head that Rock and Bass were familiar with, but it had its feet removed and there were wires jutting out from the bottom.  
  
“That's going to be his temporary head?” Roll asked, doubtful about the idea.

“We don’t have to use the Met” Dr. Wily suggested “we’d just need one of you to give up your heads”

 _I-it’s fine Doctor Wily… just make the a-attachment quick._  
  
“Let’s... let's just finish installing your arm first and worry about the head later” Bass spoke.  
  
Rhythm’s arm was soon removed, and the four began to attach Rhythm's repaired arm back to his body. Once connected, the pale blue robot sat up on the table to test the maneuverability of his arm and hand.  
  
“How does it feel?” Mega Man asked “Good as new?”  
  
_It feels w-wonderful. Even better than good as new!_  
  
Rhythm smiled weakly, but his expression quickly turned into that of a frown as he remembered that the next piece to be worked on was his head.  
  
_D-d-do you really have to take my h-head off?_  
  
Mega Man placed his hand on Rhythm's shoulder “Rhythm, all of us understand your fear of this…"  
  
“All of us except Dr. Wily” Bass remarked "Even though he lost his head _years_ ago”  
  
Dr. Wily rolled his eyes as he ignored the remark.  
  
“Listen,” Roll began “Your head will have to be removed if you want it fixed, and you want it as best as it can be right?"  
  
Rhythm sighed and nodded.  
  
“Don’t worry,” Bass said with a smile "We'll attach the temporary one as swiftly as possible.”  
  
Rhythm whimpered as he laid back down on the table and tightly closed his eyes.  
  
“Okay," Dr. Wily began "Once the head is completely removed from the core of Rhythm’s system, his sensory programming is going to shut down completely and his electronic brain experience silence”  
  
“Will he still be operating even though he’s attached to external power?” Rock asked.

“I don’t know" Dr. Wily admitted “I’m concerned that if he experiences silence in this case, his system won't charge even if auxiliary power is connected. We’ll have to do this quickly and carefully.”

Dr. Wily and the robots arranged their tools in order to prepare for a swift operation. The scientist slowly detached Rhythm’s the head from the torso, exposing the many wires and connections that attached the head to the rest of Rhythm's body.

“Alright...I'll need the wire strippers, electrical tape, and the Met on standby” Dr. Wily ordered as he snapped on heavy rubber gloves to protect himself from any possible electric shock. Mega Man held the stripper, Bass held the tape, and Roll held the head while she read Rhythm’s tablet screen for status reports. The tension rose as Dr. Wily began severing the less necessary connections, like facial movement and sight.  
  
“Rhythm, can you still hear me?” Dr. Wily asked.  
  
_Y-Yes Doctor Wily…_  
  
“There are two sets of wires left. I'm going to cut the wires that connect to the sound sensors first. This will result in you entering into your distress mode, understand?”  
  
_Y-yes doctor._  
  
“Good, I will then disconnect the power from your head entirely. We can see your mental status on your tablet so don't think that we can't hear you because you can't hear us.”  
  
_I u-understand.  
  
_“Hold on” Bass interrupted, rushing out of the lab and into the junk room.  
  
“What are you getting now?!” Rock complained.  
  
Bass returned with a portable radio and turned it on to emit static. “He’ll hear this the first thing after we restore power.”  
  
Dr. Wily rolled his eyes “Fine then… Rhythm., you will hear us in a little bit. Cutting sound in 3…2…1…”  
  
***Snip!***  
  
Immediately after Dr. Wily cut the wires, Rhythm’s tablet began to relay text.  
  
_P-please be quick, I d-don’t want to power down!  
_  
-CHARGE_90%  
  
“Cutting the power to the head” Wily announced.  
  
-CHARGE_82%  
  
_I can d-do this...I can do t-this._  
  
“Mega Man, the wire strippers!”  
  
The robot slapped them into Wily's hand and he began removing the rubber.  
  
-CHARGE_71%  
  
“It's draining rapidly” Roll exclaimed “The voltage throughout his body is insanely high!”  
  
“That's why I wore the gloves!” Dr. Wily exclaimed.  
  
-CHARGE_63%  
  
“Okay, The wires are stripped. Give me the tape and the Met”  
  
Bass handed Wily the tape and began to connect the power cables to the Met.  
  
-CHARGE_49%  
  
“What's taking so long!?” Bass shouted as he smacked the table with his fist.

“WHY DON’T YOU TRY CONNECTING WIRES WITH THICK GLOVES ON!”

“STOP FIGHTING AND FOCUS ON THE REPAIR" Rock shouted.

-CHARGE_31%  
  
_IcandothisIcandothisIcandothis_  
  
“I got the power cables connected" Dr. Wily spoke “Working on the sound sensor connection.”  
  
-CHARGE_25%  
  
“HURRY UP!” Bass shouted.  
  
“We're running out of power!” Mega Man added.  
  
“CRAP!” Wily yelled “THE FIRST CABLE CAME UNDONE!”  
  
-CHARGE_14%_LOW_POWER.  
  
_ICANDOTHISICANDOTHISICANDOTHISICANDOTHISICANDOTHIS_  
  
“Rhythm's tablet is exploding with text!” Roll screamed.  
  
“LIKE THAT'S IMPORTANT NOW!?” Mega Man yelled.

-CHARGE_5%_LOW_POWER.  
-WARNING:RAPID_POWER_DECREASE_MAY_RESULT_IN_MEMORY_WIPE

“ _IF YOU ERASE MY BROTHER'S MEMORIES I WILL KILL YOU WILY!”_ Bass roared.  
  
“I GOT IT!” Dr. Wily exclaimed “IT'S CONNECTED!”  
  
-CHARGE_2%  
  
-CHARGING_POWER  
  
_I...I did it..._  
  
Dr. Wily collapsed in the floor in relief after completing the final connection. The Met on Rhythm’s head smiled as Mega Man and Roll stared at Bass.   
  
“Bass…what did you just say?” Roll asked in astonishment.  
  
Rock stepped between Roll and Bass “Roll, start reconnecting Rhythm’s other wires. I need to have a private talk with Bass.”

Roll began to do as she was told as Rock and Bass left the lab. Mega Man was wearing a stern expression while Bass hung his head low as the two made their way to the living room.  
  
“Bass…” Mega Man began “I know you. You act all tough and seem to not care about any robot but yourself.”

“That isn't true,” Bass retorted “I do care about other robots.”

“Obsessing over Roll is not caring for her!”

“Obsessing, caring, they're both in the same vein!”

“That may be, but why would someone who consistently strives to be the strongest robot care so much about fixing this broken creation?”

“It's none of your business…"

“I think I'm in the right to know, considering that you would never dare to tell Dr. Wily about your emotions.”  
  
Bass sighed “Mega Man, you know that time with my previous ‘siblings' has been brief. I know them for a fleeting period and circumstance comes and they are soon destroyed by your hands. Despite the fact that they never treated me with any respect, I felt some inherent connection with them as they were built with the same hands that built me.”  
  
Mega Man looked at the ground “I know… but this robot. This pitiful weak wretch that you’ve rescued. You’ve barely gotten to know him and now you treat him with such care. I can only ask… why? You've been so focused on being strong and defeating me that you adopting such a fragile robot as your own puzzles me. I don't even understand why you didn't try to put him out of his misery!”  
  
“I don't get stronger by oppressing the weak!” Bass shouted “No one does. Harming Rhythm wouldn't have gained me anything except a bunch of broken parts and a dead mystery. In fixing Rhythm and getting to know him, he has opened my eyes, he's talked with me, and we’ve shared personal things. Ever since I've found him, I felt like he's become my responsibility. He lost his creator, so he's the only one to carry out his maker's legacy.”  
  
“Why do you care about Rhythm wanting to continue what his father started when you actively try to distance yourself from the legacy of _your_ maker!”  
  
“Look Rock, both you and I know that Wily's legacy is marred with failure, defeat, and humiliation. No one wants to associate themselves with that. I have read Rhythm’s thoughts and he vehemently respects his father and would want to make him proud and I believe that acting as Rhythm's brother would assist his advancement!”

“Brother?” Rock asked in confusion “You...Rhythm's brother?”

Bass glared at Rock, preparing himself for the impending mockery.

“Bass, the arrogant and hot headed failure of Wily being the brother of the fragile Rhythm?!”

“Your point?”

“You two don't go together! You're the bully and he's the type that you would bully!”

"BUT I'M NOT LIKE THAT!"

"Fine then. I can _try_ to believe you're not a bully," Rock admitted“But I refuse to believe that you are worthy to be Rhythm's ‘brother’, symbolically or otherwise”  
  
“Well I refuse to believe that you are worthy to be his brother as well!" Bass retorted “I've spent the most time with him and we’ve shared things we wouldn't be willing to admit in public. I doubt that after we're done mending him that he'll be ready to live on his own. He needs someone to care for him.”  
  
“And _you_ want to take care of him?”  
  
“It would be a break from the monotony of my life for one thing, and both you and I know all about that! I know that you're tired off all this combat without a resolution. You've wanted to kill Dr. Wily, right? I need something to change the pace, something to care for, otherwise we’d just be machines and nothing more.”  
  
Bass sat down on one of the couches and Mega Man did the same.  
  
“Think about it,” Bass began “If it weren't for Rhythm, I'd bet that one of us would be nothing but scrap metal right now or in the near future"  
  
“Fair enough," Rock conceded “but one has to consider what Dr. Light is going to do once he finds out about him.”  
  
Bass’s eyed widened in shock “CRAP! What's Dr. Light gonna think?! We can’t say that Dr. Wily made a new robot on his own, you gave us Dr. Light's parts! If you said that you worked on an independent project with his parts and got no results and that I was with some frail robot without any reasonable explanation, he'll be able to put two and two together! He’s not Dr. Dumbass!”  
  
“I HEARD THAT!” Wily complained from the other room.  
  
“I can certainly see that your working relationship with Dr Wily is a wholly respectful one” Mega Man said with a smirk before sighing “We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, we should just focus on repairing Rhythm.”  
  
Bass sighed too, and then got up and began to leave the room “I’m gonna get us some E-tanks… but…I must ask you something.”  
  
“And that is?”  
  
Bass took a deep breath “Would you ever commit a crime? Since repairing Rhythm is an action of mercy, empathy and philanthropy would you ever commit the opposite of what you normally do?”  
  
Mega Man smirked “If I’m going to be honest, This adventure into rebellion is enough for me...for now at least.”  
  
Bass smiled as he left the room to get the E-tanks, satisfied with Rock's answer.


	10. Chapter 10

"The heart is the chief feature of a functioning mind"  
-Frank Lloyd Wright

Back in the lab, Rhythm was still lying on the table and Dr. Wily was still lying on the floor. Roll was analyzing him and making sure the Met on his head worked properly.

"How are you feeling Rhythm?" Roll asked "Are there any problems or complications that you can detect?"

_I feel…h-hyper. I feel like I'm e-experiencing the rush one feels after riding a r-roller coaster.  
  
_ "A roller coaster?" Roll chuckled as she was attaching more of the wires of the Met to Rhythm "Have you ever been on a roller coaster?"  
  
 _It's s-strange…I don't think I ever did...d-dad told me about them and wanted to take me on one..._  
  
Roll smiled a smiled that contained a hint of sadness "Aww… that’s sweet…You know, you’re quite the peculiar robot. You remind me of a robot I used to know years ago."

_I do? W-well thank you kindly._

A sensor indicated that Rhythm wanted to blush, but the Met couldn't allow for it.

"Aww… there’s no need to thank me Rhythm."

_I feel like I m-must, for I am one of a kind. I-individuality is one of the most i-important aspects of being human. I understand that there are robots of i-identical identities made en masse, but I'm glad that I am m-myself and no one else._

"And I’m glad that you are you and I am I…” Roll said with a bright smile “You know, Proto Man would love to meet you."

_P-Proto Man? Who is he?_

"He's a robot that is a good friend of my brother. Rock has been looking for him recently, but I don't know why though... he’s been a bit tight lipped."

_Well when your brother does find P-Proto Man, could you maybe see if I could meet him?_

"Of course Rhythm” Roll answered as she finished connecting the wires to the optical sensors. Rhythm's eyes opened and started glancing around.

Once the eyes of Rhythm’s temporary head opened, he saw Roll’s face clear than ever did with his original head. He also noticed that Roll was holding up her phone, using it as a mirror for Rhythm.

_AHH!_

“Rhythm! What’s the matter?” Roll worriedly asked.

He covered his mouth in shock, tilting his head.

_I’m sorry…I just feel s-strange w-without my own head on my s-shoulders._

Roll chuckled and patted his construction helmet dome "I understand, it's a feeling that no robot ever gets used to."

Suddenly, Roll leaned towards Rhythm’s head and planted a small kiss on the cheek.

_H-huh? W-what was that for?_

"Just a little kissy for a lovely little bot!"

In reaction to Roll's remark, Rhythm covered his eyes in embarrassment.

As the two robots conversed, Dr. Wily slowly overcame his exhaustion and crawled into his office chair. When he saw the operational Met on Rhythm's head, he was taken by surprise by Rhythm’s silly appearance.

"Wow…" Wily dryly began "You look… incredibly goofy."

"It's a choice by limitation, not design" Roll retorted as Rhythm was still embarrassed "Now wasn't there something less vital that needed to be fixed?"

"Ah yes, Rhythm’s other arm" Wily remembered "I'll get to work on removing it and replacing it with a spare"  
  
 _T-thank you doctor, but before you do that c-could you get me my W-Walkman?_

Dr. Wily nodded as he grabbed Rhythm’s Walkman along with a random tape and handed to Rhythm, who pressed play to start the music.

 

_"I see the bad moon arising  
_ _I see trouble on the way  
_ _I see earthquakes and lightnin'  
_ _I see those bad times today"_  
  
Time passed slowly as Dr. Wily installed a temporary arm to replace the current one. When the doctor finished attaching the limb, Mega Man and Bass reentered the workshop.

"Well, well, well" Dr. Wily snidely began "Where were you two all this time? You bots weren’t planning to do anything behind my back, we’re you?"

"Considering that you passed out after the head transplant," Rock began "We decided to take break as well, especially considering how everyone’s emotions fluctuated during the operation. Right Bass?"

Bass turned to Mega Man in confusion, but found himself doing the "liar's nod".

Dr. Wily just shrugged as he directed the two robots to the parts to be repaired. "We have a non-weaponized arm and Rhythm's head to work on for now" The doc explained.

"If the head transplant was anything of an indication," Roll began "repairing that part will be a more complex task."

"It is an incredibly complex task, especially when you consider that we have to dismantle the whole damn thing" Dr. Wily explained “I want one of you to work on the head with me, so that means the other is going to have to work on repairing the arm."

"I'll work on the head with you" Mega Man quickly interjected, pushing Bass out of the way.

Dr. Wily glared at Mega Man "Rock…do you still not trust me?"

"YES!" Rock shouted "I still have to be a little cautious...but I’m also curious about the components inside Rhythm’s head."

“You want to see what makes his head tick, eh?" Wily remarked.

Bass rolled his eyes as he knew that even after the numerous talks and discussions that he had with Mega Man, he was still going to be suspicious. He couldn't be blamed for his behavior. Besides, Mega Man had more experience in repairing robots when compared to Bass.

"I'll get to work on Rhythm's arm then" Bass spoke.

As Roll finished making the connections to Rhythm's temporary head, Mega Man and Dr. Wily began repairs on Rhythm's original head, whilst Bass worked on the arm and Roll swept up around the lab. Meanwhile, Rhythm just sat in the corner of the lab on Wily’s desk chair, observing the processes of the others. During the repairs, Bass would often glance at Rhythm’s tablet to see what was on Rhythm's mind. One of Rhythm’s thoughts caught Bass’s attention.

_The M-modern Mansion, just as forgotten and worn down as I b-became…_

"Dr. Wily?" Bass began "What do you know about The Modern Mansion? I only know it as an abandoned ruin but it had to have a purpose at some point. What was the building originally meant for?"

"That’s what I've been wondering too" Roll added "It’s not like it's from some bygone period. The building had the trappings of the technology we currently live with, why was it made?"

Dr. Wily took a deep breath as he rubbed his head, trying to remember all the details.“When I was attending the Robot Institute of Technology with Dr. Light, he introduced me to a friend of his who was visiting the college to examine fledgling technologies that were being developed. The man was named Vanderbilt Catskill and he was a forerunner in the re-emerging of futuristic city planning. It was there when I first heard about the location and planning for the project. According to Mr. Catskill, the Modern Mansion was supposed to be a building that could either be a standalone residence, or part of a concept that he called a Manorplex. A Manorplex would be a large building that contained multiple prefabricated mansion layouts within it and was meant for bustling metropolises. After the completion of the test building that was constructed, many ceremonies and events transpired during the Modern Mansion’s lifetime. Festivals, debates, and conventions of all kinds were all held at the facility."

_S-so why did the c-concept not take off?_

"While the mighty elite loved the idea, the introduction of new industrial robots and the increase of lower class citizens caused the city planners to request Mr. Catskill to design inexpensive, safe, and comfortable apartment buildings for the lower classes. Because of this new demand, the original potential of the Modern Mansion was never implemented as the original plots for the Manorplexes became the location of the new inexpensive apartments that Mr. Catskill developed. The Modern Mansion was eventually abandoned and left to decay when these new apartments started to be constructed."

"I see…" Bass remarked "When it came to these conferences, did you ever go to any of them?"

Dr. Wily nodded "I went to a few political events once, but I never went to any invention showcases or other technology based event, but Dr. Light might have…"

_Bass? Why are you curious about the M-modern Mansion?_

"I’m just curious in possibly finding out who might have sealed Rhythm away in the first place" Bass answered.

Mega Man groaned "Are you teasing Rhythm? He can't remember parts of his past!"

"I’m not teasing him! Rhythm’s dreams are possibly the answer. Last night he had a dream about his immurement, right Rhythm?"

"Bass, don't put Rhythm on the spot…" Roll pleaded.

_It’s okay, because I r-remember._

"YOU DO?" Mega Man shouted "What did the one who sealed you away look like?"

Rhythm frowned as he shook his head.

_It's not like that M-Mega Man. I only remember the d-dialogue. I couldn't recall the appearances of what I saw nor the sounds of the voices I heard. I only remember what was spoken… like a stenographer…_

"At least it's something" Bass responded with a feeling of small assurance "I also recall something else from your dreams."

_R-really? What is it?_

"After the memory of your immurement," Bass explained "your thoughts were followed up with a memory of your creator taking you a convention at the Modern Mansion."

“Let me get this straight” Roll began “you're saying that if Rhythm was with his creator at the Modern Mansion at one of the conventions, there must have been someone who saw the two together."

"Yes" Bass replied with a nod "which leads to one other thing…"

"And that is?" Dr. Wily inquired as he raised one of his bushy eyebrows.

"We'll have to tell Dr. Light about what we have been doing" Bass spoke with a heavy sigh "Let's be honest for a moment. We’ve used his parts, we’ve repaired a mysterious robot that he'll inevitably find out about, and he may be the only one we know who we can ask about Rhythm…

" _If_ he knows anything" Mega Man added.

Dr. Wily groaned "Are we sure that we must do this?"

Mega Man just hung his head and sighed. “It's just that...I don't know how well it will go down...when Dr. Light called last night...things got a little tense."

"Well…" Roll began "does Rhythm wish to know?"

Everyone turned to Rhythm. The silent robot rattled under pressure, but answered quickly.

_I….I w-want to know._

Mega Man sighed again "Alright then. When I get home, I'll break the news to Dr. Light."

Roll gave Mega Man a firm hug as Dr. Wily and Bass looked at each other nervously.

"If this goes wrong, this is _your_ fault!” Wily spoke as he glared Bass.

The group soon got back together to continue to repair Rhythm's components. As the operations progressed, everyone felt uneasy. Sensing the tension, Rhythm tried to keep the other's mind off of things by engaging in conversation.

_B-Bass, can I ask you something?_

"Is it some deeply philosophical question that I need to carefully consider before I answer the question?” Bass replied in a joking manner.

_Well... that d- depends if you consider name pronunciation a matter of deep p-philosophical importance._

Bass chuckled "You want know about how my name is pronounced?" 

_Yes…and it's o-origins if you care to share that with me._

Bass leaned away from the work table "To start, my name comes from an energy source called Bassnium that I’m powered with. Dr. Wily discovered the element and shortened the name of the energy to give me the name I currently have."

_I see…is your name p-pronounced like the fish or the i-instrument?_

"The instrument, calling me like the fish is a way to insult me. You see…Dr. Wily created me to be a robot much like that of Mega Man. The doctor also created Treble, who I have mentioned before."

Rhythm then smiled, and then a soft pumping hic came from Rhythm’s torso that sound like a rough laughter.

_Heheh…It's funny._

"Huh? What's funny?"

_I've heard M-Mega Man called Rock and his sister is Roll. Your name is Bass and you have a companion named Treble. Rock & Roll, Bass & Treble. T-there’s a music theme going on here, even with me. I'm Rhythm… but I h-have no other to compare myself with._

"Well...maybe you don’t have a pairing because Rhythm is the necessary support to all music" Bass suggested.

Rhythm smiled as Bass returned to work.

"Life is about rhythm" Bass spoke "We vibrate, our hearts are pumping blood, we are a rhythm machine, that's what we are."


	11. Chapter 11

"There are two great tragedies in life. One is not getting what you want... the other is getting it"  
-Oscar Wilde  
  
The hours passed as working on Rhythm’s components for the day neared completion. The arm was close to completion, while the head was almost completely dismantled. As Rhythm watched, Bass noticed however that the frail robot looked a little bored, even if his emotional expression was restrained by the fact he was wearing a Met for a head.

"Rhythm" Bass began, approaching Rhythm "Are you ok?"

 

_I'm fine, I-I'm just a little b-bored._

 

Bass rubbed his chin and then dashed out of the lab, much to Dr. Wily’s chagrin.

 

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING BASS?!" Wily yelled.

 

"Probably where he's gone the past few times he's left the lab during work" Roll commented.

 

Bass soon returned with two large containers of Cassette Tapes and CDs from the junk room. He dumped the containers onto the floor of the workshop.

 

"Why don't you help me sort the CDs and tapes to pass the time?" Bass asked Rhythm as he sat on the floor.

 

Rhythm joined Bass on the floor and the two began to sort out the CDs from the Tapes.

 

"What…are you doing?!" Dr. Wily exclaimed.

 

_I a-appreciate all the help you g-guys have done for me, like d-discovering me and repairing my components…b-but I still feel a bit w-walled up. I-I just need to do something t-to pass the time._

 

"Cabin Fever" Mega Man remarked "I can sense you have a bad case of it. Most robots on their off time suffer from the condition as they're so used to work. Many have taken up mundane hobbies to pass the time."

 

_S-sorting tapes and CDs are a p-pleasant chore. At least s-something gets done and the space can be used for something else._

 

"If only I could pressgang Bass into organizing the junk room for once" Wily spoke "it would make the whole fortress feel a little more homely."

 

"C’mon doc, the broken down and aesthetic fits you!" Bass teased.

 

"And it's appropriate too" Mega Man added "Every time I come here to take you down, I feel like I'm in the final level of a video game."

 

Wily groaned and went back to working on Rhythm's head, slowly dismantling it. Roll, who had finished sweeping up the lab then sat with Bass and Rhythm to help with sorting.

 

"Rhythm? Why are you content with committing to this mundane task?" Roll wondered.

 

_Well…After being i-imprisoned behind a wall with n-n-nothing to do for so many years…just about anything would be more interesting to do than nothing at all. I-I’d love to help you repair myself…_

 

"You know how to repair robots?" Bass asked.

_I know a fair d-decent amount of w-what to do, mainly quick fixes and minor repairs. The p-problem is that I can't repair myself, no one can fix t-themselves. They need help n-never the less._

 

Rhythm sniffled a bit as he continued to sort the cassette tapes, with Roll noticing that Rhythm was being careful with sorting.

"Rhythm" Roll began "Why are you being gentle with the cassettes?"

_It comforts me. I actually want to listen to all the music Dr. Wily has. That way, I could possibly start making music of my own_.

  
Mega Man's eyes widened "Making music? Sheesh! Along with his drawings and writings, Rhythm bound to become a Renaissance Man!"

 

"The pinnacle! The apex! The zenith of robotic achievement!" Bass theatrically spoke in a non-insulting fashion "Renaissance Man, sounds like it could be Rhythm’s Robot Master name."

 

Dr. Wily pulled out a note pad and scribbled the name down.

 

"Achievement" Mega Man muttered to himself as he hung his head, his attention then turned to the fragile robot "Rhythm, may I ask you something? It’s specifically about you."

 

_O-okay then...what is it?_

 

Mega Man took a deep breath "After we repair you…what would you like to do with your new life? What is your ultimate goal as a robot?"

 

Rhythm hung his head and put the cassette he had into the correct pile.

 

_Well... I don't really have any p-programmed purpose… but I have p-plenty of things that I want to do. I guess that the b-biggest thing that I want to do is that I w-want to help the w-world in some way, make a i-large impact that changes the world. But b-besides that, I want to do d-different things for the rest of my life. I can't s-settle myself with one goal._

 

Mega Man weakly smiled and gently rubbed Rhythm’s head.

 

"There there Rhythm, it's ok. To tell you the truth…I envy you, since you weren't made for a purpose. You think for yourself. When it comes to my behavior, it is often determined or incited by others." Mega Man spoke as he pointed to Dr. Wily "My goal...the one that has been burdened upon me…is to defeat Dr. Wily an Bass once and for all."

 

_And if you did d-defeat Dr. Wily…for good… what would happen after that?_

 

Mega Man sighed "After that, I might as just as well be deactivated. I personally have nothing planned for myself, but I bet that Dr. Light does. It's probably turning me back into a lab assistant or being carted around for multiple lavish and unnecessary ceremonies where I'm the attraction and Dr. Light the ringmaster."

 

_W-what if you fail to defeat Dr. Wily What if, for some miraculous reason, Dr. Wily takes over the world?_

 

"Glad to know that this robot has so much c _onfidence_ in me" Dr. Wily retorted sarcastically.

 

"If he succeeded in taking over the world?" Mega Man answered in surprise "If he did, what the hell is he going to do with it for one thing?" He then turned to Dr. Wily "How old are you? In your seventies or something? If you were to able to defeat me right now with no chance of me returning, you’d probably have ten, twenty, or maybe thirty years for you to reign supreme? You'd most likely have to deal with the issues of politics and underground rebellion groups during your obviously dictatorial rule. I wouldn't be surprised if you immediately had a _heart attack_ after you won!" Mega Man then turned to Bass "And you! You wi…"

 

**"I KNOW WHERE THIS IS GOING!"** Bass shouted as he tried to keep his composure “I want to be the strongest robot. Everybody knows that I want to the very best, the ultimate, the unbeatable, like no one ever was. But if I were to keep that title, my life would consist of constantly fighting new robots again and again and again. There are only two outcomes for me, I would end up living forever as I constantly smash and destroy the cognitive circuits out of each new challenger…or I get end up getting destroyed by some new machine that would become champion and turning me into a small footnote in the history of great robots. Is that accurate, or do I exaggerate?"

 

As Bass looked around, everyone including Dr. Wily nodded in agreement. Rhythm the looked through the CDs and grabbed a particular one to put it in his player.

 

_"This is the world we live in_

_And these are the names we're given_

_Stand up and let's start showing_

_Just where our lives are going to"_

 

_We're all c-capable of change. We just need a place to start._

Mega Man raised and looked at the clock, it was a quarter to eight "I'm going to start now. I'm going to start with telling Dr. Light about working on Rhythm. Roll and I have to go now" He then gathered his belongings and left with Roll. Rhythm, Bass, and Dr. Wily remained in the lab in a state of stunned silence.

 

"Rock” Roll began as they made their into their car "You didn't mention me at all when you went on your little rant." 

 

Mega Man turned to his sister and put a hand on her shoulder "To be honest Roll, I couldn't think of any cruelty that you have been involved in. Be thankful for that."

 

Back in Wily's workshop, Rhythm was looking at the pile of cassettes and CDs that he and Bass were sorting. Bass was standing behind him.

 

"You look concerned Rhythm" Bass asked "what's the problem?"

 

_I was just t-thinking that maybe...maybe I should have stayed s-sealed up behind the wall in the mansion. I’m just a c-component of a d-decaying past that if r-reintroduced back into the world, he would cause too much of a change towards the status quo. I shouldn't go c-changing people if the c-circumstances are like this._

 

Bass patted Rhythm’s shoulder “Rhythm, you should continue with what you are doing. Everyone needs their smacks in the head every once in a while. While yours was painful, it still ends up leaving an important scar."

 

" _The sand castle virtues are all swept away_ " Dr. Wily recited " _in the tidal destruction, the moral melee, the elastic retreat rings the close of play, as the last wave uncovers the newfangled way_. You have become that last wave. It may have ruined what existed, but something stronger can be built from what remains."

 

Rhythm smiled as Dr. Wily approached him.“Maybe we can complete your arm and install it back on you.” 

 

The scientist acquired his laptop to test the arm and Bass began the finishing touches. Rhythm watched the final repairs intently as he listened to another cassette tape.

 

Meanwhile back at the Light residence, Mega Man was writing down a rough script for himself follow when he broke the news about working on Rhythm with Dr. Wily. He was struggling as he practiced reciting the dialogue.

 

"Uh, dad. I've got something to tell you...no that won't work. I need to tell you something?…no, that's not it" He then took a deep breath "Dr. Light, how upset would you be if I told you that during the past few days while you were gone that Roll and I were working on a strange robot that Dr. Wily and Bass found in an abandoned mansion at the outskirts of the city!?"

 

Roll just stared at her brother as she approached him with an E-Tank “I hope that you're not seriously considering to begin with that line of confession, right?"

 

Mega Man just smiled nervously "Well… it's blunt, for one thing."

 

Roll rolled her eyes "It's well known that a blunt object cause more pain to a person than a sharpened one...at least when it comes to humans. Why don't you start off the discussion by asking him about the Modern Mansion and improvise from there?"

 

Mega Man sighed "Alright then, it’s worth a try."

 

The blue robot then began to wait patiently for Dr. Light to call him. He shook in worry about how Dr. Light would react to the fact that Rock had buried the hatchet without the good doctor’s consent or permission. Eventually, Dr. Light called and Mega Man answered.

 

"Hello son" Dr. Light began as he appeared on the screen.

 

"Hi dad. How are things in Olive?"

 

Dr. Light hung his head "Heartbreaking. The funeral was obviously quite a somber affair and many of my colleagues broke down into tears upon seeing her be laid down into the earth. The reading of the will was also tense. I ran into a colleague of mine."

 

The good doctor wiped a tear off his face while Mega Man took a deep breath as he prepared to break the news.

 

"Dad, may I ask you a question?"

 

"Of course Rock, you most certainly can."

  
"This might sound strange but, have you ever been to the Modern Mansion facility? Like, at all?"

 

Dr. Light scratched his beard "The Modern Mansion? Yes, I have. I have been there a few times when it was still in operation when it was still a demonstration model for a building complex."

  
"Really?" Mega Man replied in surprise "How long ago was that?"

 

"This was…sometime before you were constructed, I can’t remember" Dr. Light said with a shrug "Rock…why do you want to know about the Modern Mansion?"

 

Mega Man hung his head "It's because...well...to be honest…Dr. Wily gave us a call."

 

Dr. Light cocked and eyebrow "I see…why did Dr. Wily call you?"

 

"He told me that Bass had found a damaged robot at the abandoned mansion and that he needed parts to repair it."

 

Dr. Light didn't physically react to the admission "What did you do?"

 

"I was suspicious and even rejected the notion at first. It wasn't until Bass called Roll and he convinced her to convince me. We then found ourselves going to Wily's fortress and we discovered that Dr. Wily was telling the truth about the damaged robot."

 

"I hope that you just didn’t give him the parts and just let him do what he wanted with them" Dr. Light replied as he crossed his arms.

  
Mega Man shook his head "No, we didn't do that. Roll and I gave him the parts, but we insisted that we help repair the damaged robot so that Dr. Wily didn't do anything nefarious with the parts that we had given him."

"That's a good Rock" Dr. Light said with a smile "So tell me, does this robot have a name?"

 

Mega Man nodded "Yes, his name is Rhythm."

 

"Interesting" Dr. Light replied as he cocked an eyebrow "Where exactly in the Mansion was this robot found?"

 

"Bass told me that he found Rhythm sealed up behind a wall in the basement."

 

"How did Bass find the robot? He couldn't have just been causing some wanton destruction to reveal the robot."

 

"It was Rhythm who got out on his own. There was a thunderstorm the night that Bass found him, and the lightning was able to travel to where Rhythm was buried. Bass found Rhythm after the frail bot was able to get out by himself."

 

Dr. Light stroked his beard as he pondered.

  
"Hmm..when did Bass find this robot?"

 

"Some time after you left for Olive."

 

"Does anyone else know about this robot?"

 

"No one else. Just me, Roll, Dr. Wily, and Bass."

 

"I see…" Dr. Light began, hanging his head. Mega Man tightened his fists as he braced for some rant or tirade towards him from the doctor.

 

"Mega Man," Dr. Light began with a heavy sigh "While I am upset that you didn't tell me about this situation immediately, I am glad of the precautions that you took."

 

Mega Man smiled as it dawned on him that Dr. Light was not furious.

 

"However, I want to see this robot before he is completely repaired. I'll travel to Wily’s fortress once I arrive back at the laboratory tomorrow evening. Can this robot be made good as new?"

 

Mega Man shook his head "Unfortunately, no. Complete repair is almost impossible as his system wastes power when he is in a realm silence and his memories have been partially lost due to his injuries."

 

"Injuries? What sort of injuries?"

 

"This robot was maliciously sabotaged. It's why the robot was sealed behind the wall in the first place."

 

Dr. Light nodded "I see… Alright then, I’ll see you tomorrow evening. Good night Rock."

 

"Night father, see you tomorrow!" Mega Man signed off with a smile.

 

He then terminated the transmission and let out a huge sigh of relief.

 


	12. Chapter 12

"Where words fail, music speaks"

-Hans Christian Andersen

  
As Rock and Roll were preparing to go to bed, Bass and Dr. Wily had finished reinstalling Rhythm's arm back onto his body.

  
"Okay then, how does it feel?" Bass asked as he sealed up the last access panel.

 

_It feels b-better than ever! I want to test it out r-real quick!_

 

Bass took a wrench off a nearby table and handed it to Rhythm. He gripped firmly on the handle, but it didn't bend or crush the steel. He then tossed the tool up in the air, but as it came back down, it slipped out of Rhythm's palm and landed with a loud clang on the floor. Rhythm frowned as Dr. Wily bent down to pick the wrench up.

 

_I'm not meant for f-fighting, I-I was made to d-demonstrate the powers of my mind._

 

"If that's the case why did your creator decide to give you a weapon?” Dr. Wily asked, patting Rhythm's cannon arm.

  
_I don't k-know, I can't see myself using it a-anytime soon._

_  
_"Well what good is having an opinion when people with a different opinion than yours have big sticks that they can hit you with?" Bass replied.

 

_Maybe it's for d-defense then, or maybe its a scare tactic so that no one a-attacks me at all. But then again, I don’t want to get into any fights in my c-condition._

Bass nodded in agreement "You have a good point there Rhythm" The black robot then stepped forward and accidentally knocked over one of the stacks carefully organized cassette tapes. "CRAP!"

  
Dr. Wily rolled his eyes "It really isn't a good idea the cassettes and the CDs on the floor of my lab. Take them to Bass's chamber."

 

_A-actually, there is still have a lot of o-organizing to do. Could we maybe work on this t-together in the living room?_

 

Dr. Wily begrudgingly shrugged "Fine, I don't see why not" he spoke as he picked up some music.

 

The three collected the spilled music off of the floor and put the music into the Living Room, Bass went back and forth from the scrap room to the living room so he could find containers for the cassettes and CDs. He also found a working boombox so that the three could listen to music as they sorted everything. Dr. Wily sat on his comfy chair while Rhythm and Bass sat on the floor.

 

"Rhythm" Bass asked "You've been listening to music constantly as we repair you. What is your favorite genre?"

 

_Well to be p-perfectly honest, I don't have a f-favorite. What I want to listen to all d-depends on what I'm in the mood for. Jazz, Rock, Musical, Pop, I like all of them._

 

"Do you get any satisfaction from any particular genre?" Wily wondered as he threw out a broken CD case into a recycling bin.

 

_W-well… rock music is a p-particular favorite. Part of what appeals to me is the range of emotions that can be found within the genre. Rock music can be loud, soft, slow, fast, a-acoustic, or electric. There is so much rock music to choose from. The variety satisfies me. What satisfies you Doctor Wily?_

 

Dr. Wily grumbled “Very little satisfies me these days. Being without Bass is a relief at least."

 

"Ha ha ha…" Bass dryly retorted "I will state that being without Dr. Dumbass also satisfies me. But other than that, fighting robots gives me a level of satisfaction, especially when it's a challenge. There are plenty of robots that try to fight me that I can easily take down within sixty seconds, and they bore me."

"Who's Next" Dr. Wily spoke.

 

"I don't know!" Bass exclaimed "It’s not like I schedule these fights!"

_He’s talking about an album title… that's by The Who. The Ws are on the coffee table._

 

Bass rolled his eyes as he picked up a tape _"The Band"_.

 

"I know that _a_ band made the album" Wily complained "but _which_ band made that album?!"

 

_The Bs are on the floor, give the t-tape to me._

 

Rhythm put the tape in the right stack and then read the label of another tape.

 

_Huh, this c-cassette doesn't have a label on it._

 

Rhythm took the cassette out of the case and put it in his Walkman.

_"-we be friends?  
_

_why can’t we be friends?_

_why can’t we be friends?"_

 

"What an apt song" Wily remarked "I don't think that me and Dr. Light will ever be friends…"

 

"Well if I’m going to be honest" Bass began "I feel that repairing Rhythm with the help of Mega Man and Roll has began to improve our relations with the two. Not a impressive amount of improvement but a small amount."

 

I just h-hope that Dr. Light will be able to do the same.

 

The three kept sorting tapes and CDs until Dr. Wily became too tired to continue working. The scientist trudged down the halls to pass out in his bedroom, leaving the two robots to their devices. Rhythm and Bass continued to sort never the less. At one point, lightning struck Wily’s fortress which caused the lights to flicker a little.

 

_AHHH!_

 

Bass chuckled a bit "Startled you, didn't it?"

 

_Y-Yeah…At least I don't need to l-listen to any music tonight._

 

Rhythm then began to rubs his eyes and slump a bit.

 

"Are you tired Rhythm?" Bass asked.

 

Rhythm only quietly nodded. Bass then got up from his place and picked up Rhythm to carry the sleepy bot to Bass's bedroom.

 

"Rhythm," Bass began as the two walked down the dimly lit hallway "I must admit that there is a charm to your silence."

 

Huh? W-what do you mean?

 

"I don't mean it in a bad way…" Bass backpedaled "It’s just that there people who speak so much and so often who also say so little at the same time."

 

_Like p-politicians?_

 

Bass chuckled and nodded as he opened the door to the bedroom placed Rhythm into his bed. He rubbed the frail robot's head before he left the bedroom so he could make his way outside into the pouring rain. The thunderstorm seemed harsher than any of the previous nights.

 

"They say that humans catch diseases when they stand in the rain unprotected" a condescending voice spoke. It was Proto Man, wearing his black trench coat and red helmet.

  
"Aren’t you a ray of sunshine" Bass quipped, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall of the fortress.

 

"I appreciate your sentiment" Blues replied "What’s the problem?"

 

"Nothing…" Bass lied "I just wanted a night to myself for once."

 

"Alright then, I'll just be brief" Proto Man began "I have been alerted that Dr. Light is to return tomorrow. I’m going to wait at his place so I can talk to him."

 

Bass’s eyes widened "Wh..why? How come? For what reason?"

 

Blues shrugged “I don’t know…I've felt this strange feeling after I saw Rhythm. Something inside me…pulsed. I checked my programming the next morning and I found out that something has definitely changed in me."

 

"Can you put it in words?"

 

Blues shook his head "No, that's why I want to talk to Dr. Light. I want to see if he knows something about me…"

 

"Nothing wrong with that…"

 

"Thanks for your your sympathies, but there is something else" Blues said in a solemn tone "On the night Heather died, I felt a pain that seemed somehow connected to the incident. For the life of me I don’t know why. Since Dr. Light was at the funeral, maybe he could help me explain this too."

 

"Wait…" Bass interrupted "who is Heather again?"

  
"She was a scientist who was murdered recently. Dr. Light has been away these days due to her death. Haven’t you been paying attention to the news, Bass!?"

  
"No I haven’t!" Bass yelled "I've been too busy fixing Rhythm with Dr. dumbass and Mega Man breathing down my shoulders so give me some slack!"

 

Blues simply crossed his arms as Bass ranted.

 

"Sorry Blues, this has been a rather… interesting past few days."

 

"I understand. I’ll see you after I communicate with Dr. Light."

 

Bass stepped forward and put a hand on Blues’s shoulder "Alright then, but be careful. Dr. Light may want to ‘fix' you and what makes you independent in the first place."

 

Blues chuckled "I don't think I'll lose that anytime soon, and neither will you."

 

More lightning struck Wily's fortress, creating a bright flash and a painful crash.

  
“The weather is getting worse” Bass remarked "You'd better make your way to Light’s."

 

Blues extended his hand and shook Bass’s "I’m going to make my way to Dr. Light's tomorrow when the weather is better. When I get back, tell me how the progress on Rhythm is. Good-bye Bass."

 

"Good-bye Blues" Bass replied.

 

Blues walked away from Bass. With another flash of lightning, the yellow scarfed robot vanished into the night.

 

Bass soon made his way back inside the fortress. He made the way to his room and started taking off his armor to let it dry in the closet and sat next to where Rhythm slept. As the rain fell, words appeared on the tablet.

 

_Dad?_

_"What is it son?"_

_”I would like you to meet someone._

_"Oh, who are they?"_

_It's the man who found me hidden behind the wall._

_**"Hello there sir."** _

_"…"_

_Is there a problem dad?_

_"No."_

_He's not a bad robot._

_"I understand that, but I just don't want you to leave me, Rhythm. You are the only one I have."_

_**"I'm sorry sir, but we both share that aspect as well."** _

_"I apologize for your circumstances, but he is mine and mine alone!"_

_But he has changed, dad!_

_"His nature can put you in danger nevertheless!"_

_**"I will protect him!"** _

_"But what if you fail?!"_

_**"He’s a brother to me! I won’t fail!"** _

_Father! Brother! Please don't fight!!_

 

Bass put the tablet away and sighed as he made his way to the living room so he could sleep on the couch.

 

"You are a brother to me…" Bass muttered to himself "I don't want to fail you."


	13. Chapter 13

"There are some things that are unthinkable: there are some depths that not even demons would believe other demons would stoop to"  
- _Good Omens_ Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Dr. Light was resting in his hotel room in Olive, feeling uncomfortable about what had been bequeathed to him during that day's Will Reading. The event was an disquieting affair as the list of belongings was read off to the attendees. As the beneficiaries were read from the documents and the materials were dispersed, he and a colleague of his were left.  
  
The colleague was Dr. Eric Grey, who worked for the EOS Corporation. He was also one who had loved Heather, but they had a nasty break up due to her decisions of her now missing son. The last belongings to be given out were the deeds of Heather's car, her house, the guardianship of her son, her finances, and a large box that was sealed with a special lock.

All that Dr. Grey got was Heather’s finances. It was a rather modest sum of money but gaining the wealth did not satisfy him. He especially wanted to be the guardian of her son. But the law was the law and Dr. Grey had to accept his lot. 

Dr. Light was given the rest, but there was an unusual condition. The lawyer told him that Dr. Light must keep guardianship of the materials until they could be bequeathed to Heather's son. The box contained the final part of Heather’s Will, and the key to the lock was in the possession of the son.

Dr. Light grew ever increasingly worried about how he would try to find Heather's son. All previous attempts by the authorities had failed and searches had been fruitless.

It was nearing midnight, and the day's processions exhausted him. As he dressed into pajamas to go to bed, the thought he saw a bright green flash in the forest outside of his hotel window 

Tomorrow morning would be when Dr. Light would start to head for home.

-[+]-

The sun had started to rise as the rain continued to fall from last night. Bass had fallen asleep on his desk chair while Rhythm was resting in the bed. It was a rather peaceful night but at the crack of dawn, Bass's slumber was interrupted with the rattling of metal coming from Rhythm. It began quietly, but soon grew to a unsettling scraping of materials.

"Urgh…" Bass complained as he began to get up out of his chair and walked to Rhythm "Rhythm?" He asked as he poked the robot.

_O-O-Owwwwwwww…i-it hurts…_

Bass scratched his head as he looked at Rhythm's tablet. According to the transcription, the frail robot began feeling pain about half an hour ago 

"Rhythm? What's wrong?"

Rhythm then slowly began to open his eyes, which were watering. With his non weaponized arm, he held on to his arm cannon gently.

_S-something is w-wrong with m-AHHHHH!!!!!_

A painful but quiet screech emitted from Rhythm's Met mouth as the robot gripped on to the cannon 

_I-ITS UNDER THE SKIN! I-ITS UNDER T-THE- **GRAHHHHH!!!!**_

Bass covered his ears as he made his way to his desk to get a screwdriver to open up the arm cannon, but it was welded shut. Rhythm's pain caused him to writhe on top of the black blanket. 

_**MAKEITSTOPMAKEITSTOPMAKEITSTOP!**_  

Bass banged on the side of the arm cannon to no avail. 

"R-Rhythm, do you trust me? C-cause this will hurt a lot, but only for a brief moment."

Rhythm frantically nodded, and Bass put his foot against Rhythm's torso and grabbed his arm.

"One….two…three!"

Bass pushed his foot against Rhythm and pulled the pained arm away from the body, causing the arm to begin separating from the shoulder.

**_WAHHHHHHHH!!!MAKEITSTOP!!!!!_**  

Bass grit his teeth as he readjusted himself to finish the crude amputation.

"One…" Bass took a deep breath as he tightened his grip "Twothreee!"

With a firm yank, Rhythm's arm detached from the body and sent Bass flying into his desk.

_**AHHHHHHHHHHH** HHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh…._ 

Rhythm's pain subsided as Bass got up from where he landed with the detached arm in his hand.

"Has...has the pain stopped?" Bass meekly asked.

Rhythm quietly nodded, his wires poking out of his arm socket and sparking slightly.

"I’m gonna take this limb to the lab... take some time to recover…"

Rhythm nodded as he used his other arm to put on his headphones to listen to music. 

_"There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface_  
_Consuming, confusing_  
_This lack of self control I fear is never ending_  
_Controlling_  
_I can't seem_  
_To find myself again_  
_My walls are closing in"_

Bass dashed into the lab and took out an Rotary Tool to open up the back of the arm cannon, trying not to cut the wires underneath. After cutting out a rectangular panel, Bass began examining the original circuit board that was underneath. The wiring inside was all fresh due to the repairs and recognized his and Rock's handiwork, as they fixed the component together. However, upon further investigation, he noticed there was a red wire that he didn’t recall installing. It connected itself to the CPU of the weapon, and the other piece was hidden away in the cannon. Bass shook the cannon part and heard a rattling that he hadn't heard before. He then pulled on the read wire, and it started to come out, taking the device it was attached to along for the ride.

Upon reaching the end of the wire, he found a Bluetooth enabled device with a familiar logo on it that read "Dr. W". 

**"DOCTOR ALBERT W. WILY!"**  

Bass stormed out of the lab, ran to Dr. Wily's bedroom and kicked the door in. The scientist was at his desk, analyzing a status screen on his computer which had a large red alert that read **TEST FAILED-CONNECTION LOST.** The scientist was still in his pajamas as well, though when bass entered it looked like the scientist was caught with his pants down.

"Bass!" Wily shouted! "Er, good morning! S-surprised to see you up so early!" 

Bass shook the extracted part from Rhythm in front of Wily's face _"WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT IS THIS?!"_

"I-It's a tracking component, f-for Rhythm's safety!" 

"Rhythm's safety my foot! I SAW YOUR LAPTOP SCREEN, YOU WERE TESTING SOMETHING IN RHYTHM!" 

"How did you find out then?!" Wily retorted "Were you working on fiddling with his cannon to make him a weapon?!"

"Your little test was hurting Rhythm! Whatever you did was affecting him negatively and made him scream not only on his tablet but also made metal components in him squeal!" Bass fired back.

"Well how was supposed to know that?!"

"Maybe if your bedroom wasn’t soundproofed you would have heard! And what were you intending to gather from this test?! RHYTHM ISN’T MADE TO BE A WEAPON!"

Dr. Wily scowled at Bass. His subterfuge was discovered and his defense was shot down.

"Fine then, what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm gonna fix Rhythm's arm and reattach it before Mega Man and Roll get here. You better get dressed... and you will not say A WORD about what you did nor will you try to pin it on me, alright?"

The scientist silently nodded and began to dress as Bass left the bedroom.

"One more thing doc," Bass spoke as he stood in the door frame "How did you even install that thing?"

"I put it in when I was testing the cannon" Wily admitted as he took his PJ top off "I installed it when you weren't looking."

"When no one is looking" Bass echoed "Your most common tactic."

Bass left Wily's bedroom and returned to his own, find that Rhythm was curled up on the bed and was lying on his armless side.

_Are you and Dr. Wily done f-fighting?_

Bass nodded "We are. I gave him a good dressing down and ensured that he wouldn’t meddle with your internals. We'd better get to the lab. I have to reinstall your arm before Rock and Roll arrive."

Rhythm nodded, and Bass helped the one armed robot out of the bed and the two traveled to Wily’s lab. Rhythm laid down on the worktable and Bass placed the removed limb next to Rhythm as he resealed the removed panel.

"Rhythm? what would you do if we can't find out who immured you?" Bass asked as he grabbed an acetylene torch from off the wall.

_I would still search for the answer._

"Would you be obsessed with finding the answer?" Bass asked as he began welding the panel shut.

_Not really, it would be along the lines of...a hobby._

"Wouldn’t you already have a large amount of hobbies? You already have a lot of potential from what I’ve been able to determine."

_What's wrong with multiple hobbies? Doing is one thing, enjoyment is something completely different._

"It's just that you want to do so much! Do you ever worry you can’t handle it all?" 

_N-not really no, but I'd like you there to be with me when I do these things… I don't want to be l-lonely with these e-endeavors._

Bass smiled "I'd love to do things with you… no one wants to be lonely. The lone wolf wants to find a pack that appreciates him."

Bass finished sealing up the panel and then took a grinder to remove the welding slag that had accumulated on the arm. After the metal was smoothed, Bass began to reattach the arm.

"Mega Man and Roll should be arriving soon… don't tell anyone about what happened this morning."

Suddenly, a chime came from the front door.

"Speak of the angel" Bass commented "DOC?! CAN YOU GET THE DOOR?!"

"Alright! Alright! Alright!" Wily grumbled as he passed the lab with a mug of coffee in his hand.

When he opened the door, he noticed that Mega Man had a large smile plastered on his face and Roll was wearing a worried expression.

"He's been like this all morning, I have no idea why…." Roll explained.

Dr. Wily looked at the blue bot and cocked one of his bushy eyebrows "The heck? Is your programming out of whack?" 

Mega Man shook his head as he entered "Nope! I just happen to have good news! I told Dr. Light about our situation last night." 

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Dr. Wily exclaimed "W-What did he say?! It obviously was something good if you happened to be this ecstatic about it!" 

"He was a little bit upset that I worked behind his back" Mega Man explained as he made his way towards the lab "He lauded my precautions and is actually curious about our project." 

"Our project?” Wily asked as he scratched his bald head.

"Well since we worked on Rhythm so much together" Roll explained "this is technically our project."

Dr. Wily shrugged and he joined the two robots as they entered the lab. Rhythm was lying on the lab table, Bass was cleaning of some tools, and Mega Man and Roll were none the wiser about what transpired that morning.

"So," The doctor spoke as he put his mug down "are we ready to finish up the head?"

Mega Man and Dr. Wily got to working on reassembling the head. Roll and Bass wanted to assist but they soon discovered that four people working on the head collectively crowed the view for everyone. Bass and Roll collectively shrugged and decided to lean agains the wall near where Rhythm was sitting. 

Roll sighed "Gee, it sure is boring around here…."

"Tell me about it" Bass remarked "Working on Rhythm has been pretty much the longest time I’ve stayed at Wily’s lab within the past year."

"Well what do you do when you're not here?" Rock inquired.

"I go to my hideout and relax there most of the time. Treble is there if you were curious about him."

"You have a hideout?!" Roll asked, prompting nods from both Bass and Rhythm.

"Yep" Bass answered as he brushed some dust off his shoulder pad.

"How did you even get to acquire such a place?" Rock asked.

_Y-yeah Bass, I was w-wondering about that._

"Well theres no way I'm going to a real estate office and purchase a place and transport it to the middle of nowhere. It's a small prefab place like you can get some of the flat pack furniture stores. It’s kind of like an apartment that has been removed from the building itself." 

"Well how did you get the money to pay for such a thing? I mean, does Dr. Wily give you an allowance or something?!"

Bass shook his head "He'd never do such a thing. When I was first built, Dr. Wily created me to be entirely dependent on him. My personality however clashed with this intended plan." 

_That still doesn't e-explain how you got the money for your h-hideout._

Bass unashamedly grinned "If you look at my wanted poster, I’m wanted more for being an associate of Dr. Wily."

_R-really? W-what have you done?_  

"Robberies, car theft, dirty deeds to acquire personal wealth...." 

Roll frowned and crossed her arms "Any assaults or muggings?"

Bass shook his head "I only get into fights if someone tries to fight me first. I don't go out to pick fights, robots come out to try to fight me."

_Because you’re one of the s-strongest, right?_

Bass nodded "Yep, that's exactly the case. Even when I put these robots in their place, they still come back for more. The only time I'll seek out a fight is if the robot claims to be actually stronger but won't prove their mettle against me, or if their name begins with 'M' and ends with ‘Ega Man’." 

"Then why aren't you trying to fight me now?!" Rock shouted from across the room.

"I want an audience, alright?!" Bass bashfully replied "I want people to see that I was able to defeat you! I want it to be a grand spectacle of a fight. I want it so that there would be irrefutable evidence that I won and came on top." 

Rock just shook his head and continued working on Rhythm's head "When we're done, I'd like to look at your head, Bass."

"And why is that?” Bass harshly replied.

“I want to see if you have a screw loose."

Roll and Rhythm chuckled a bit while Bass rolled his eyes.

"Very funny…" Bass groaned "Well at least we shouldn't worry about putting Rhythm's head back on."

_A-actually Bass, I-I am very w-worried about having my o-original head b-being put back on._

"Rhythm's right" Roll said with a nod "When putting the Met on Rhythm’s head, we narrowly dodged a bullet as his power hit a critical low. We don't want to leave this to chance. What should we do?"

Bass and Roll scratched their heads, while Rhythm started scribbling on his notepad for ideas. He drew the top of a torso, and approximation of the two heads, his own and the temporary one. He connected the temporary head to the torso, and then rubbed his head with the eraser of his pencil. 

_H-how about we attach a second pair of wires to my t-temporary head so that the o-original head is first c-connected to the temporary and then my body._

Bass and Roll looked at the rough image and considered the plan. 

"How about we start a set of wires extending from the original head" Roll began, erasing the lines that represented the wires "and attach those to the torso before we remove the temporary one?"

_T-that might work… b-but we'll need to test it first, just incase._

Roll smirked as her gaze turned towards Bass.

"Really?!" Bass complained "Why me?"

"Because Rock is busy with Dr. Wily" Roll spoke "And there's no way he's gonna allow my head to be to tinkered on by a Wily bot."

Bass groaned and rolled his eyes in defeat "Fine, but we’ll need to find a head to put on my shoulders, what are we gonna use?"

_Well… In the junk room I saw this s-strange white thing that kind of looked like a giant head, from a LEGO minifigure…maybe we should try that._  

Bass nodded, and made his way to the junk room to find the test cranium that Rhythm first noticed. 

As Roll and Rhythm prepared tools for the experiment, Dr. Wily and Mega Man were finishing up the reassembly of Rhythm’s head. The internals were fixed, but they didn’t replace the damaged right eye nor gotten rid of the scar that was underneath it. Eyes were expensive, and replacing Rhythm's skin would also be a costly endeavor. 

"I don't have the money to fix the ascetics of this robot" Wily remarked "Besides, the scar adds a bit of character."

"That or ‘I'm weak, please don't hurt me’" spoke Mega Man.

"That's the sad thing isn't it" Wily solemnly replied "no matter what we do for Rhythm, he will never be the exact same robot he was before what happened to him. His voice box notwithstanding." 

Mega Man quietly nodded “After all the fighting you and I have done, it can never be the same as when you and Dr. Light made the first robot masters."

Wily nodded as well "That's true, but I must ask something."

“And that is?" 

"How does it feel to be working on a robot with me?" 

"To be perfectly honest, I'm rather enjoying it” Mega Man replied "It's because it’s reminiscent of the stories Dr. Light told me about you before you lost your head"

Dr. Wily chuckled “How appropriate that we are working on one."


	14. Chapter 14

"Come! It is time to give the Machine-Man your face!"  
-Rotwang _Metropolis_

In the living room of Wily Fortress, Bass was lying down on the floor with his head almost detached from his body. Every connection to Bass head was disconnected save for Bass’s audio connections and the main power connecting his head to his power core. Bass had also brought over a speaker from the junk room so that he could talk to the others during the operation. Roll and Rhythm had the test head already prepared with the necessary wires already jutting from the bottom of the cranium.  
  
"Are you ready Bass?" Roll asked.  
  
"Ready as I ever will be" Bass's complaint came out through the speaker.  
  
Roll smiled smiled as she attached the cables to the hearing sensors of the test head to Bass's torso. With a little bit of solder, the connections were now secure.  
  
 _Now the v-vital part.  
  
_ Roll then attached the wires of the temporary head's hearing sensors and soldered them in place.  
  
 _H-how does e-everything sound b-bro?  
  
_ Bass let out a short yell "AHH! I’m hearing everything in double stereo!"  
  
Roll chuckled a bit as she disconnected Bass's head from his torso and then began attaching the other wires of the test head to the body.  
  
 _I must a-admit Bass, you do look r-ridiculous.  
  
_ "That's not the point" Bass replied with a sigh "What matters with this test is whether or not this works at all."  
  
"That's true" Roll said with a nod "Let's attach the temporary head fully and finish the experiment."  
  
Meanwhile in the lab, Mega Man and Dr. Wily were still cleaning and finishing the last components on Rhythm’s head.  
  
"It's strange" Dr. Wily spoke as he sipped a cup of coffee.  
  
"What's strange?" Mega Man asked as he crushed his empty E-tank before tossing it into a recycling bin.  
  
"Take a good look at him" Dr. Wily spoke as he covered Rhythm's damaged eye "What do you notice?"  
  
Mega Man took a good look at Rhythm's face, touching his cheek.  
  
"Its almost... its almost like looking into a mirror."  
  
"My thought's exactly" Dr. Wily spoke as he removed his hand "His blue eyes, the face like that of a boy, the brown hair, it's pretty uncanny."  
  
"Do you think that whoever made this robot was inspired by my design?"  
  
"I don't think so. Since Rhythm was made by a robot, maybe his creator creator based him on himself" Wily then suspiciously glanced at Mega Man "You didn't make him, did you?"  
  
Mega Man turned back to the scientist "That depends, did you immure him?"  
  
Dr. Wily took offense to this "Are you saying that if you made a robot that I would want to dispose of him?"  
  
"Well to be perfectly honest, yes!" Mega Man admitted "It would all depend on the powers that Rhythm might have had. It would also depend on if we were on less pleasant terms than the ones we have developed with each other the past few days."  
  
Dr. Wily nodded in agreement and then turned to Mega Man "I have a quick question…"  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"What do you think could have been the motive of the one who immured Rhythm?"  
  
"You're the one who’s been played out the same evil scheme year after year and you're asking me about motives?"  
  
Wily chuckled "My plans involve subjugating the masses, I'm not one for just going after one person. A single person _may_ have pushed me to do what I have done, but getting back at Dr. Light is not the only goal I have."  
  
Mega Man rolled his eyes as he leaned against the work the table "Maybe…jealousy? I mean, we have concluded that a robot made Rhythm. So if it was a human that enclosed him, the person must have been jealous that a robot was able to achieve such a feat. Then again, why not go for the creator too?"  
  
"Maybe Rhythm's creator was more difficult to get to. He could have been murdered after Rhythm was."  
  
"That's a good point… but we can't be sure…"  
  
"No we can’t" Wily admitted "To be perfectly frank, I would be jealous if a robot made another robot as able as Rhythm. Even I think that its cruel knowing that he was damaged to the condition Bass found him in."  
  
Mega Man nodded "I understand... and to answer your previous question, no I didn't make him."  
  
"I though not, but I wanted to be completely sure" Dr. Wily answered "If you did however, I would think that either you or Rhythm would have remembered almost immediately, despite Rhythm’s memory being compromised."  
  
Suddenly, a scream came from the Living Room. Fearing the worst, Rock engaged his cannon and dashed to the location of the scream. Once he arrived, he saw the reason for the scream.  
  
"AHHHHHH! YOU PUT IT ON BACKWARDS!" Bass shouted.  
  
Bass was looking at Rhythm and Roll, but his body was turned away from them. Roll and Rhythm were both giggling at the gaffe, and Rock couldn't help but chuckle.  
  
"A bit of an overreaction Bass, don't you think?"  
  
"Hahahah…”  Bass replied with a mock laugh "If your head was put on wrong, wouldn’t you freak out?"  
  
"I thought you'd be used to having your head on wrong by now" Rock retorted.  
  
Bass tried to lunge at Rock, but his body lurched away from Rock due to the mechanical mishap.   
  
Mega Man then turned to his sister "How do you mess that up in the first place?"  
  
"We weren't paying attention" Roll spoke.  
  
 _I-It was a first time m-mistake... I’m sorry.  
  
_ "There's no need to be sorry Rhythm" Mega Man spoke as he patted Rhythm's shoulder.  
  
Dr. Wily then arrived, unfazed at the scene "Well then, what happened?"  
  
"We were testing a method of transplanting heads so that Rhythm doesn't lose the ability to hear nor his power, and we ended up putting the test head we found on Bass backward” Roll explained as Bass began to stand "there were no hiccups in the transplant."  
  
"That's good to hear" Mega Man replied "I just wish that we thought of this previously so that we didn’t have to deal with this issue the first time."  
  
"We know, we know" Bass lamented “Now could I please _HAVE MY ORIGINAL HEAD BACK?"  
  
_ Dr. Wily sighed as he took Bass's head and lead him into the lab. Rock, Roll, and Rhythm followed the two. Bass got on to the work table and Wily began the operation. On one of the tool benches was Rhythm's head, which disturbed the head's owner.  
  
 _I-It’s not often you're able to see your head after you have been…d-decapitated._  
  
Roll nodded "I understand Rhythm, It's not something that anyone wants to experience in the first place."  
  
Replacing Bass's original head took less than an hour, but even with the successful test on Bass, everyone was worrying if the transplant technique was going to work for Rhythm. The head was finally finished, and Dr. Wily was testing the head to see if it would work properly. Once Bass's original head was back on, Dr. Wily left the room for a quick break and left the four robots alone.   
  
Rhythm listened to a cassette tape as they waited.

_"Like father like son  
_ _Not flesh nor fish nor bone"  
  
_ As Bass's head rebooted and regained focus, he noticed that Mega Man was jittering ever so slightly.  
  
"Rock? What's worrying you?" Bass asked as he got up up from the table.  
  
Mega Man sighed "I'm just concerned about what Dr. Light may think of Rhythm when he comes later."  
  
Bass then turned to Rhythm, his temporary face showing a silent expression.  
  
 _"He's a sly one, he's a shy one  
_ _Wouldn't you be too?  
_ _Scared to be left all on his own  
_ _Hasn't a, hasn't a friend to play with"  
  
_ "Rhythm," Bass began "are you worried about meeting Dr. Light?"  
  
Rhythm stopped the tape.  
  
 _I-I'm a little bit w-worried. I've gotten to know so much about you four, i-including Dr. Wily, these past few days. With Dr. Light h-however, I don't know what to expect.  
  
_ "Would you like me to tell you a little bit about my maker?” Mega Man offered.  
  
 _No thanks, I would like to form my own i-impressions of him by myself if that's okay.  
  
_ Dr. Wily then reentered the room wiping his face with a paper towel and made his way to Rhythm's head "Alright... Roll, Bass; since you two did the test operation you can do the honors of putting Rhythm's original head back on."  
  
Mega Man helped Rhythm lie down on the worktable and Dr. Wily placed Rhythm's head next to his temporary one. Roll began detaching Rhythm's temporary head and Bass started preparing the wires on the fixed one.  
  
"So how exactly does this operation work?" Dr. Wily asked.  
  
"First, we attach wires from Rhythm's body to the power and hearing sensors first of the original head" Roll explained "then we disconnect the temporary head from Rhythm’s torso, and then finish installing the original one."  
  
Dr. Wily shrugged and sat in the corner to watch. Rock made his way to the supply of parts acquired the correct grade of wire needed for the connection. He then soldered them to the correct connections of  the original head and then began to solder the wires attached to the hearing sensors to Rhythm's torso.  
  
"Is everything going well Rhythm?" Roll asked.  
  
 _E-Everything is fine, I'll j-just have to p-prepare for the double stereo.  
  
_ Rock then soldered the wires that connected the power from the torso to the head, causing Rhythm's face to wake up and then tensed.  
  
"Rhythm?" Rock asked "Did that hurt?"  
  
 _I-I’m ok. It's just that the double voice s-startled me.  
  
_ "Sorry about that" Rock spoke "I'll fix that soon."  
  
He then cut the wires attached to the temporary head, which killed its operations and relaxed Rhythm.  
  
"Feeling good Rhythm?" Rock asked.  
  
 _I feel much b-better.  
  
_ "Wonderful" Rock spoke before he turned to Bass "How is his power? Did we lose any?"  
  
Bass shook his head "None at all. No change in energy levels."  
  
Mega Man and Roll sighed in relief.  
  
"I'm glad we tested the concept before installation" Roll spoke.  
  
Bass nodded in agreement "Same, though I wish I didn't have to be the one that had his head tested on."  
  
"Knock it off Bass…" Roll complained "Why don't you finish connecting Rhythm's head back to his torso while we take a break."  
  
Bass kept working as Dr. Wily briefly left the lab and returned with a six pack of E-tanks and a bottle of soda for himself. He dealt out the E-tanks and then began to stand on top of a stool.  
  
"What the hell are you doing doc?" Bass grumbled. as he opened his tank.  
  
"I would like to make a toast" Dr. Wily explained.  
  
Bass simply rolled his eyes as Dr. Wily raised his bottle of soda in the air.  
  
"To Rhythm, for understanding through adversity."  
  
"To breaks from the monotony" Mega Man added.  
  
"To new friends!" Bass spoke.  
  
"To the lives examined!” Roll cheered.  
  
 _To all that and m-more._  
  
The five sipped their drinks but froze once a chime came from the front door. Dr. Wily got down from the stool while the others put their glasses down.  
  
"Bass, stay with Rhythm" Dr. Wily spoke "Rock and Roll, follow me to the door."  
  
Bass remained with Rhythm as the other three made their way to the front door.  
  
"Why do you want us accompanying you?" Roll asked.   
  
"So that Dr. Light can be certain that you two are not being operated on. It's for Light's peace of mind."  
  
The three arrived at the door and Dr. Wily pressed a button underneath a security screen to see who was on the doorstep. The figure had white hair and a beard, held a bag in his left hand, and was wearing a white lab coat.  
  
Dr. Wily pressed another button and spoke into a microphone.  
  
"Hello Tom."  
  
"Hello Albert. I hope that we are meeting on cordial terms."


	15. Chapter 15

"A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies"  
-Oscar Wilde _The Picture of Dorian Gray_

Dr. Wily buzzed Dr. Light in. The arriving doctor had a solemn expression on his face as he looked around at the disheveled interior of the fortress. His white hair and beard reflected the lamps from ceiling. His blue eyes looked directly at the nonplussed Dr. Wily.

 

"This better not be a trap, Albert."

 

"I promise to inflict no harm and it's not like I'm in the condition to do so anyway” Dr. Wily extended his right hand out  “Come in."

 

Dr. Light entered and shook Wily's hand.

  
"Huh?" Dr. Wily spoke. He looked at Dr. Light’s hand and noticed that it was partially wrapped up in bandages.

  
"A colleague foolishly cut me at dinner last night" Dr. Light explained  "He dragged the knife on top of my hand by accident."

  
"We're both doctors, we can deal with such injuries" Wily said with a smirk.

  
As Wily led Dr. Light to the workshop, Mega Man and Roll followed the two.

 

"Father?" Mega Man asked.

 

"Yes Rock?"

 

"H-how were things in Olive?"

 

Dr. Light hung his head "A very sobering situation…I hadn’t seen Heather in years and I never thought that the next time I’d see her would be at a funeral home. She had so much potential."

 

"I know" Rock lamented “but we must move on from such events."

 

"Have they found Heather’s son yet?” Roll asked.

 

Dr. Light shook his head "No Roll…they’re still searching for him."

 

The four then entered the lab. Rhythm was lying on the work table and listening to a cassette tape as Bass monitored the robot’s status.

 

_"You made a fool of me, but them broken dreams have got to end."_

 

"So, it was Bass who found this robot?" Dr. Light asked.

 

Bass nodded “I did doc, I found him at the Modern Mansion a few nights ago."

 

"How has the repair been coming along?"

 

"We have been methodically repairing Rhythm piece by piece" Mega Man explained "We stared with his legs, his cannon arm, his other arm, and we finished on his head just about a half hour ago."

 

"Why did you not just shut him down and repair all the components simultaneously?"

 

"When I ran him through diagnostics" Dr. Wily explained "The software reported that shutting down Rhythm’s system in any case would cause him to lose his memories."

 

Dr. Light then turned his attention to Rhythm "Hello there Rhythm."

 

_Hello there Dr. Light._

Dr. Light turned his attention to Rhythm’s tablet and read the voice that he just heard.

 

"Why can't he speak?" the doctor asked.

 

"His voice box is ruined" Bass explained 'and the only way to replace it is if the robot is fully powered down."

 

"I see… how did you find Rhythm?"

 

"I was wandering at the Modern Mansion late that night and found Rhythm hidden behind a wall. He happened to get out of behind the wall by himself due to the thunderstorm that evening having enough strength to recharge him."

 

Dr. Light turned back to Rhythm and picked up his cassette player "What’s this for?"

 

"It’s for his safety" Roll explained.

 

"Safety?”

 

_Yes Doctor Light. S-silence causes me to enter a state of panic that c-causes me to lose my energy at a rapid rate._

 

"I see…" Dr. Light then looked directly into Rhythm’s eyes "Now I must apologize for this being an uncomfortable question, but I must ask…Do you have any idea who did this to you?" 

 

Rhythm closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 

_N-n-no sir…my m-memory has been d-damaged and I d-don’t know w-who d-did this to me._

 

As Rhythm answered, he rattled a bit on the work table.

 

Dr. Light then turned to Dr. Wily "May I see his internal circuitry?"

 

Dr. Wily nodded and pulled out a screwdriver to pry open Rhythm’s torso. Dr. Light pulled out his own pocket tool from his lab coat and joined Dr. Light. Rhythm’s torso was opened and they both saw the damaged and barely working component that were contained inside.

 

"I plan on repairing as much of Rhythm’s torso tomorrow" Dr. Wily explained "It will be impossible to fix him completely without shutting down Rhythm’s system but I can probably repair about...I don't know…60%. And that’s a conservative estimate."

 

Dr. Light put multi tool down on the table "I wouldn't recommend that."

 

Dr. Wily and the four Robots all turned to Dr. Light.

 

"You wouldn't recommend that?!" Bass shouted "YOU WOULDN'T RECOMMEND THAT?! **WHY WOULDN’T YOU RECOMMEND THAT?!"**

 

"Listen,” Dr. Light began "His interior components are practically shot. If Rhythm here got hit by a single blaster shot to his torso, he would be dead even with the repairs. There’s also his condition involving silence to consider. These would be incredible detriments to a fighting robot. As an act of mercy for this poor robot, I suggest that Rhythm should be completely deactivated and recycled."

 

Rhythm rattled on the table as Bass’s fists tightened.

 

**"YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING!"** Bass yelled.

 

"Bass! please!" Roll pleaded as he held back Bass.

 

"LET ME GO!" Bass yelled as he stepped towards Dr. Light "Listen doc! I’ve gotten to know Rhythm for the past few days while you have just met him fifteen minutes ago. I’ve talked to him and I know that Rhythm was not built to be a fighting robot."

 

"Then what is his purpose? What was he built to be?" Dr. Light asked.

 

"He desires to be as human as possible” Mega Man spoke, stepping forward “Rhythm wasn’t made with any particular purpose."

 

"That’s right! And you haven’t seen what Rhythm here is capable of" Bass added "He can draw, he can write, he's smart, he's kind, he's creative, he's imaginative, he's capable of love, he's sympathetic, he's understanding, he's funny, he's philosophical and so much more!"

 

"Why would a robot like you care for such a robot as this?" Dr. Light asked "Your past actions would indicate to me that you wouldn’t even be empathetic to anyone or anything."

 

"Well you don’t know me as well as you think you do doc! We’ve bonded like brothers! Do you worry that Dr. Wily is going to turn him into a Robot Master? What kind of robot master would he be?! He’s not meant for that kind of use!"

 

Dr. Light sighed, unimpressed with Bass’s rant "I know, but the reason that I suggested that Rhythm be shutdown is because Rhythm here has suffered, and will continue to suffer for as long as he exists."

 

_I-I’m not s-suffering…._

 

Everyone’s attention then turned towards Rhythm.

 

_I'm not s-suffering on my own a-accord. I'm suffering because others are. Seeing B-Bass break down over this s-situation m-makes me feel hurt. I-I care for Bass b-because he treats me like a brother. These past few days have m-made an i-incredible bond b-between us. Y-yes, I know that I will not be able to match the s-strengths and a-abilities of my past, and I a-accept that. I still want to be able to do great things and I refuse to let my d-disabilities be an excuse for being lazy._

 

"I understand Rhythm, but I fear that people and other robots would take advantage over your disabilities and hurt you" Dr. Light explained "I do not wish to see that happen to you."

 

"Neither do I" Bass spoke "And I will give hell to those who try to mess with my brother!"

 

Rhythm smiled in response to Bass's declaration.

 

"Just because you found him doesn’t mean that he’s yours…" Dr. Light replied "He belongs to his maker."

 

"He was made by a robot and Rhythm doesn’t remember who his maker is" Dr. Wily explained. "Tom, let Rhythm have the choice over his fate. Both you and I know that very few robots have the ability to choose their fates.

 

"Says the man that has repurposed robots for his own nefarious purposes" Dr. Light retorted.

 

"That’s not important right now" Dr. Wily hastily responded "What is important is finishing fixing up Rhythm and deciding what to do after we’re finished."

 

Dr. Light scratched his beard and then sighed “If Rhythm want's to live, so be it…I know that it’s common for robots to preserve their existence, but that’s secondary to obeying humans."

 

"Those are guidelines, Tom" Dr. Wily explained “I’ve exploited such vague rulings in the past."

 

"And I’ve been one to deal with those guidelines too" Rock added.

 

Dr. Light took a deep breath "Is there any chance of bring Rhythm to my lab tonight?"

 

"Oh _hell_ no!" Bass exclaimed "I’m not letting Rhythm leave with you!"

 

"It’s probably for the best to leave him here anyway" Roll explained "Something could happen in transport."

 

Dr. Light nodded in agreement "Alright then. I shall return tomorrow with Rock and Roll in tow. But Rhythm, please consider my suggestion carefully. If not recycled, we can repair you fully and give you a clean slate to start with."

 

_No Dr. L-Light… my m-memories are more i-important than being the robot I once was p-physically._

  
"Alright then, so be it. Rock, Roll, let us return home now."

 

Dr. Light left the lab with the two robots, who weakly smiled as they exited. Dr. Wily followed them to the door.

 

"One thing before you go Tom," Dr. Wily spoke as Dr. Light opened the door.

 

"What is it Albert?"

 

"Why were you so insistent on having Rhythm restart his life?"

 

"If you had the chance, would you want to begin again for better possibilities?"

 

"Would you?"

 

Dr. Light said nothing as he closed the door to Wily’s fortress. Dr. Wily went to the security screen and watched as Mega Man and Roll got in one car and Dr. Light went into another.

 

Bass meanwhile was angrily pacing in the lab out of disgust of Dr. Light’s suggestions.

 

"The nerve of Dr. Light saying such things! How did his suggestions make you feel?"

 

_I-I felt a bit a-ashamed of m-my c-condition…b-but i-it was just a first i-impression._

 

"Well I’m pissed that he would even say such things! He paints himself as ‘the good doctor’ but those statements were just offensive!" Bass complained. "You wouldn't do something as stupid as ending your life, would you?!"

 

_N-no. From what I r-remember reading, those who often wish to die often wish for life when they begin the i-irreversible deed. T-trying to escape misery or pain is impossible._

 

"I know I know… but it sucks in general" Bass lamented as he leaned against the work table and hung his head.

 

Rhythm placed his hand on Bass’s.

 

_I won't leave you. I want to be a b-brother to you ever since you lost your others._

 

Bass weakly smiled "Thank you…you’re more important than any other family other I’ve ever had"

 

_And I r-respect you more than any f-family you’ve ever had too._

 

"Ain’t that the truth" Bass answered with a chuckle. "C’mon bro, let’s seal you up and then take you to bed."

 

He then picked up his frail bot bro and placed him in his bedroom.

-[+]-

 

Dr. Light arrived first back at his home, with Rock and Roll arriving soon afterward. The doctor had entered the lab before the others and as Rock opened the door, he saw Dr. Light bringing his luggage to his bedroom with Rush following him. Roll went to the kitchen to get some E tanks while Mega Man entered Dr. Light’s bed room, the scientist sitting on the foot of the bed. Rush was resting in his dog bed and didn’t perk up when everyone entered.

 

"Father," Mega Man quietly began "you said that we could talk once we returned."

 

Dr. Light shook his head "I’m sorry Mega Man, it’s quite late right now and I didn't get much sleep traveling back from Olive. There’s also the fact that being in Wily’s fortress didn’t do me any favors. I’m surprised you weren’t put off by the essence of Wily."

 

Mega Man smiled "I’ve been there before many times, but the past few days have been the only time where it has been a peaceful encounter between me and Wily.

 

"That’s a fair point" Dr. Light responded with a deep chuckle "Get some rest Rock, We’ll talk tomorrow after Rhythm makes his decision."

 

Mega Man nodded and left to join Roll in the living room.

 

"You don’t really think that Rhythm will want to be shut down for good, right Rock?" Roll asked as she handed Rock an E-tank.

 

"Not at all" Rock answered "Do you want to be deactivated? Does anyone whether they be man or machine?"

 

"The depressed might desire to be shut off…"

 

"Depressed?" Mega Man spoke "He might be depressed. It’s true that he’ll never be what he once was and he’ll continually feels the effects of adversity. However, he has accepted the things he can not change and will work to change the things he can. He's changed us, me, you, Bass, Dr. Wily…."

 

"But can he change Dr. Light?"

 

Mega Man sighed "I would like to hope so… one person can do a lot but a group can do much more."

 

"Hope" Roll remarked before she sipped her E-tank "…I told Rhythm about Proto Man."

 

Mega Man tilted his head "What did you tell him?"

 

"I told him that the two of them would probably would get along well. Both have degrees of independence and think for themselves. It almost feels like…" Roll lulled on her thought.

 

"It’s almost like what?"

 

"It’s almost like what would happen if Blues died and was later found to be repaired to be the same robot he was previously."

 

"The only difference being the damage that the two have sustained" Rock remarked.

 

"True…its almost, its almost like they could be brothers."

 

Rock chuckled "Possibly, but Rhythm would seem that he’d want Bass to be his brother and vice versa."

 

"Well…what’s wrong with that?"

 

Rock shook his head "Nothing’s wrong with that. It's just that since Bass found Rhythm first, their connection is the strongest."

"Well I’d like to believe that Rhythm could have a strong connection with anybody” Roll stated.Mega Man sighed “Only if that person is ready to be changed."

The blue robot got up from the couch in the living room and made his way to the kitchen to put his empty E-tank into recycling. He then began to make his way to his bedroom but stopped when he saw a drip of red substance on the floor near Dr. Light's bedroom. Mega Man thought nothing of it and went to the bathroom to wet a towel to clean the minor mess up.

 

As he did so, he heard a loud lurch came from inside Dr. Light's room.

 

"Dr. Light?!" Rock shouted "Are you ok?"

 

"I’m fine Rock, just go to sleep."

 

Rock shrugged as he finished the clean up, but the stain refused to be completely removed.

 

After putting the used towel into a hamper, Mega Man entered his bedroom and picked up the book _The Return of the Gadfly: Questions Upon Questions_. When Rhythm would be finally repaired, Mega Man would be able to get the answers he was looking for.


	16. Chapter 16

"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend"  
-William Blake  
  
Night had fallen during the time that Mega Man and the rest of the Light family returned home. Rhythm was resting in Bass’s bed while Bass himself was sitting at his desk and fiddling with an electronic project.  
  
 _Do you t-think that I will be able to meet with Mega Man and Roll after my r-repairs are c-complete? I really want to keep in c-contact with them.  
  
_ "Well there are other logistical factors that we’ll have to take into account before we can consider that."  
  
 _W-what do you mean bro?  
  
_ "We’ll need to figure out where you’re going to live for one thing. I’m pretty certain that you don’t want to have your personal residence be in Wily Fortress, do you?"  
  
 _N-no, but n-neither do you, c-considering your hideout that you keep telling me about.  
  
_ Bass chuckled a little "Well in your case, it’s safer for you to stay somewhere else rather than here. If you were found here by the authorities…well, let’s just say that it wouldn’t be good."  
  
 _I u-understand…e-especially after I saw Dr. Light and Dr. Wily share the same space.  
  
_ "I’d never thought I’d ever see the day when Light and Wily were working together" Bass admitted "Before Mega Man was built, the two scientists were fellow students but Wily was always jealous of Light getting more attention, but I’d like to think that if the circumstances were reversed that Dr. Light would end up being the villainous one rather than Wily."  
  
 _D-Do you really think that bro?  
  
_ "Absolutely. They’re more alike than they’d like to admit. Every scientist wants to be able to change the world and be recognized for their achievements, and both Dr. Light and Dr. Wily have achieved this."  
  
 _Dr. Light b-because he made Mega Man, Dr. Wily because of his a-attempts to take over the world… and failing.  
  
_ "Failure is an achievement in itself" Bass chuckled "Dr. Wily has failed so many times that he practically deserves an award for his stubbornness."  
  
 _I-I see…b-but do you think that after I’m r-repaired that… things could change? Could Dr. Light ever f-forgive Dr. Wily for what he has done?  
  
_ Bass shook his head "Probably not. Dr. Wily has played the 'I’ve changed for the better' card before and has used that to try to get to Dr. Light and Mega Man yet another time. Dr. Light will never completely trust Dr. Wily, they’ll always keep fighting with Wily building the robot masters and Light sending Mega Man to defeat them."   
  
 _Well… w-what about you and Mega Man? Will you two stop f-fighting after I’ve been repaired?  
  
_ Bass shook his head "Most likely not…in my programming, the core of my being, my purpose has and always will be to kill Mega Man. Will I? I don’t know. After all our fights, he’s always let me go as if he believes that I could change."  
  
 _I b-believe that you can change for the better. I believe that a-anyone can. You’ve c-changed, right?  
  
_ Bass shrugged and turned to Rhythm "I’d like to think that I have” He then rolled over and then tucked Rhythm into the bed “Get some sleep now bro, tomorrow is probably going to be a long day."  
  
Rhythm nodded, put on a cassette tape, closed his eyes, and began to fall asleep. Soon after, Bass quietly got out of his seat and left him so he could go out for a walk around the perimeter of the fortress so he could meet Proto Man like the past few days.  
  
A light rain had just began to fall when Bass exited the fortress. Bass trudged through the trench of past walks and waited for Proto to appear. Fifteen minutes passed, then half an hour, then a full hour and there was no sign of the mysterious robot.  
  
"C’mon Blues,Where the hell are you!?" Bass complained "You said that you wanted to talk to Dr. Light but I thought you would have come back tonight!!"  
  
Bass walked around the perimeter for another hour, but Proto Man failed to appear. Maybe he was at Dr. Light’s still. He wouldn’t have known unless he made his way there. So Bass decided to walk through the rainy night to travel to Dr. Light's, leaving Dr. Wily and Rhythm alone at the fortress.  
  
-[+]-  
  
 **"BASS?! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! DR. LIGHT AND THE OTHERS ARE COMING ANY MINUTE!"  
  
** It was 7:30 in the morning and Dr. Wily was storming around the fortress searching for Bass. He had disappeared during the night leaving Rhythm on his own. He also ended up startling Rhythm, causing the frail bot to cocoon himself in Bass’s bedroom. After glossing over the main common areas, Dr. Wily returned to Bass’s bedroom.  
  
"I can’t find him…damn brat has to go vanish in the middle of the night before we finish up fixing you."  
  
 _H-He’ll come back.  
  
_ "Sure, sure. He always comes back, _but WHEN IS HE?_ He’s the one that cares for you! He's the one who wanted to fix you in the first place!"  
  
 _Y-you don’t want to fix me?  
  
_ "I couldn’t give a damn if you were fixed or not! What purpose are yo going to serve anyway?! What will you do once you’re discharged from my ‘care’?"  
  
Rhythm rattled as he hid underneath the blanket.  
  
 _I d-don’t k-know…  
  
_ "Ya don’t know! No one knows! You’re like the stray that a kid brought home and wants to take care of it but doesn’t know how!"  
  
He then kicked a wastebasket, which slid out of the way and made Dr. Wily smash his toes against the metal wall.  
  
"GRAHH!!!" Wily shouted, along with a bunch of angrish and other mixed up expletives before sitting in Bass’s desk chair so he could remove his shoe and heal his toes.  
  
Rhythm then peeked out of his blanket cocoon and looked at the pained doctor.  
  
 _A-are you ok?  
  
_ "I’m a doctor, I’ll deal with it."  
  
 _Y-you’re not that kind of doctor.  
  
_ "I know, I know…" Wily said with a sigh "But if it’s any concession to me, neither is Dr. Light."  
  
 _W-what’s your r-relationship with Dr. Light?  
  
_ Dr. Wily groaned "One built on jealousy, envy, and backstabbing. Dr. Light and I were classmates in university. We worked together on various projects but Dr. Light was always awarded for his accomplishments while my ideas weren’t picked up such as the ‘Double Gear’ idea I had. Eventually, I buried the hatchet so I could work with Dr. Light on the first set of Robot Masters. However, the grave for that hatchet was shallow and I used the robot masters to try to get back at Dr. Light. You can see how well that went."  
  
Rhythm quietly nodded.  
  
“Several more attempts, more than 80 defeated robot masters, and one bratty robot have led me to the status that I endure today. With Dr. Light coming yesterday and today, I am now working with my mortal enemy. My enemy who also used to be a friend of mine."  
  
 _F-friendships don't always last f-forever.  
  
_ Dr. Wily nodded "They don’t, but the fact that we are to work together today makes me wonder if we can truly forgive each other."  
  
Rhythm shook his head.  
  
 _I d-don’t think so. You and Dr. Light are less likely to c-change because you two have gone t-through so much and have become m-molded by those events. Those who are more experienced and are willing to adapt h-however are more likely to cope with a new d-development. A robot who is a-adaptable to s-situations has more of a chance of s-surviving that s-situation than one who can't. It’s the same with h-humanity.  
  
_ "I know… but maybe we’re too old to change our ways" Dr. Wily responded. He then got up from the desk chair and gingerly exited the bedroom “I'd better prepare some breakfast for myself before Dr. Light arrives. Having some food and coffee in my stomach will help calm some of my nerves when we work together today."  
  
 _D-doctor Wily?  
  
_ The doctor stopped and then turned to Rhythm "What is it?"  
  
 _Could y-you help me out of the bed? I-I could cook you b-breakfast.  
  
_ Dr. Wily cocked one of his bushy eyebrows "What now, you can cook too?"  
  
Rhythm shook his head.  
  
 _No, but I'm w-willing to try. I-It could help me in connecting with Dr. Light.  
  
_ "Possibly, but highly unlikely" Wily spoke as he unwrapped Rhythm out of the bed and helped him stand.  
  
The two left Bass’s bedroom and made their way to the kitchen. Rhythm sat in a chair as Dr. Wily searched through his fridge for foodstuffs.  
  
"If we’re going to make anything, It’s gonna be egg based" Wily spoke as he pulled out a carton of eggs from the fridge "All I have are eggs."  
  
Rhythm shrugged looked through recipes on his tablet and picked out scrambled eggs, as it was the simplest to craft. As Rhythm began cracking the eggs, Dr. Wily made his way to the lab to straighten up before everyone else arrived. Rhythm used all of the twelve eggs in the carton so he could have enough servings for both Wily and Light. He also worked on the coffee maker, preparing two mugs for the two doctors.  
  
As the coffee finished brewing, a chime came from the front door.  
  
"I’ll get it, I’ll get it" Wily spoke as he walked through the kitchen, grabbed his coffee, and went to the front door. He checked the security screen and sure enough it was Dr. Light with Rock and Roll. Wily opened the door, and saw the smiling faces of Rock and Roll and the plain expression of Dr. Light.  
  
"Good morning Rock, Roll, Tom" Dr. Wily greeted.  
  
"Hello there Albert" Dr. Light replied with little expression.  
  
"Did you happen to have breakfast yet?" Wily nervously asked as Light and his creations entered.  
  
Dr. Light shook his head "No, I haven’t…why?"  
  
"Rhythm is preparing breakfast in the kitchen for you. I was setting up my workshop for the repairs before you arrived. We can talk over the specifics about Rhythm when we eat."  
  
"Alright then…Mega Man and Roll, you two go over to the workshop and get everything in order” Light spoke.  
  
The robots nodded and traveled to the workshop as Light and Wily made their way to the kitchen.  
  
"Say sis," Rock began "do you feel like is something is… missing right now?"  
  
"Well Rhythm is in the kitchen with Dr. Wily, there’s nothing wr-Bass isn’t here!" Roll realized.  
  
Mega Man sighed rolled his eyes "You gotta be kidding me, where the heck is he?!"  
  
"Don't worry, he's probably still in his chamber! I’ll go get him" Roll spoke as she left the lab to go to Bass’s room. To her surprise, Bass was absent, which began to worry her. She then made her way to the kitchen. As she approached the door, she overheard Dr. Light, Dr. Wily, and Rhythm talking to each other.  
  
"So you are certain that you want to be repaired?" Dr. Light asked "You do know that you can not be completely repaired to your original status without removing your memories."  
  
 _I’d r-rather be crippled and retain the m-memories I have rather than a perfect body and an f-fresh mind.  
  
_ "I already told you Tom," Dr. Wily bitterly spoke "Rhythm considers that his shutdown would be suicide to him!"  
  
"But you’ve told me that he has these harsh memories that haunt him. Rhythm should let them go and move on."  
  
"No one’s life is completely charmed" Wily admitted "Knowing our conflicts, we’ve had our worries and strife."  
  
"But robots can start again from scratch."  
  
 _B-but why should a robot start again from s-scratch? Why should humans keep trying to make a perfect being? P-perfection comes from the e-embracing one’s flaws in spite of adversity. B-besides, those flaws are something to o-overcome. What good is the g-greatness of something w-without adversity? Mega Man w-wouldn’t be who he was if it wasn’t for Dr. Wily.  
  
_ "Rock would still have been great even if Wily didn’t do what he did."  
  
Roll sighed and entered the room quietly "Excuse me gentlemen, I was searching around the fortress and I’ve noticed that Bass is… absent. Do you know where he is Wily?"  
  
Dr. Wily shook his head "No, but he was here when I woke up."  
  
"Well does Rhythm know where he is?" Dr. Light asked, turning to Rhythm.  
  
Rhythm hesitated, and Roll noticed that Dr. Wily was putting his finger over his closed lips out of view of Dr. Light.  
  
 _I…I w-woke up with him by my side, but after he went to wash up in the b-bathroom, I didn’t see him again.  
  
_ Dr. Light proceeded to glare at Dr. Wily "Albert, if you are trying to pull something…."  
  
"I'm not trying to pull anything!" Dr. Wily exclaimed as he put his hands up defensively "I don’t know where Bass is! Besides, it’s within his nature to pull stunts like this."  
  
Dr. Light groaned as he dug into the rest of the scrambled eggs "Alright then, let's finish breakfast and then get to work."  
  
The two scientists ate and Rhythm left the room with Roll. Out of earshot from the scientists, she asked Rhythm about Bass's whereabouts.  
  
 _I h-honestly don't know. He was here with me last night but not this m-morning. I’m g-guessing that he had left s-sometime last night.  
  
_ "But that was before Dr. Light came…what could he be up to?"  
  
 _I d-dunno, but let’s just keep calm, and c-carry on.  
  
_ The two robots made their way to the workshop and Rhythm laid on the work table as Roll explained the situation to Rock.  
  
"WHAT?!" Rock shouted.  
  
"I know, I know" Roll lamented "but we don’t want any more tension here right now. Let’s just keep quiet and maybe he’ll come back later."  
  
Rock sighed as he made his way to Rhythm and began opening up Rhythm’s torso in preparation for the upcoming repairs.  
  
"Alright then" Dr. Wily announced as he snapped on a pair of leather gloves with Dr. Light following him "Despite the fact that we're down absent a pair of hands, the pace of today’s repairs should be better or at least just as good as the last few days."  
  
"So how are we going to work on the torso?" Rock asked.  
  
"We're going to work from the outside of the torso's interior" Dr. Light explained "We’ll have to remove Rhythm’s arms and legs to access parts of the torso, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Will that work Rhythm?"  
  
 _Y-yes Dr. Light.  
  
_ "Alright then" Dr. Light spoke "let us begin."  
  
Dr. Light and Dr. Wily worked beside each on the left side of Rhythm’s body while Rock and Roll worked on the right side. As repairs began, Wily gave Light a nudge with his shoulder.  
  
"What is it Tom?" Light said with a sigh.  
  
"What did I tell you to say once you saw Rhythm again?" Wily casuistically replied.  
  
Dr. Light then turned to Rhythm "Thank you for making me breakfast Rhythm."  
  
Rhythm weakly smiled in response.  
  
 _You’re w-welcome Dr. Light._  
  
Dr. Light smiled softly and then began to commence with the repairs. The fact that Bass had disappeared last night put everyone in Wily’s fortress in a more of an uncomfortable mood than before. Despite this, the repairs began without hiccups as they removed Rhythm's arms and began to work on the torso.


	17. Chapter 17

“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom”  
-George S. Patton

"Well I left my happy home  
To see what I could find out  
I left my folk and friends  
With the aim to clear my mind out"  
  
To ease the tensions during the repairs, Mega Man had taken one of Rhythm’s CDs and put it into a player for some background music. If anything, it distracted everyone from the rainfall that had begun soon after Rhythm was dismembered for the purposes of repair.  
  
"So Albert…" Dr. Light began as he removed a panel on Rhythm’s chest to see how the arm socket repairs were proceeding "What are your plans for Rhythm when we finish his repairs? I hope you don’t plan on keeping him here!"  
  
"I don’t want to keep him here" Wily replied "Bass is going to have to take responsibility for him. Rhythm is going to live where ever Bass runs off to so he can be rid of me."  
  
"Do you know where this place is?"  
  
"Of course not! You can obviously see that I don’t have as good as a relationship with my creations when compared to you. The only things that Bass will  tell me is how much he hates me and how much that I suck!"  
  
Mega Man and Roll chuckled a bit and even Dr. Light had a problem containing himself.  
  
"As usual, I’m outnumbered" Dr. Wily remarked.  
  
"Well it’s mano a mano right now" Mega Man commented.  
  
"Well I’d like to return my attentions to Rhythm here" Dr. Light spoke "What does he want to do with his life? What will his purpose be?"  
  
 _I…I want to be c-creative. I want to be able to make s-something. I-I want to have a l-lasting impact. M-my father always told me that I-I was destined t-to change the world.  
  
_ "A rather lofty ambition" Dr. Light spoke "But in your status, It will be incredibly difficult for you do so."  
  
 _E-everyone has to deal with a-adversity. W-what would make me d-different?  
  
_ "Your condition Rhythm…" Dr. Light answered as he rubbed Rhythm’s head.  
  
Rhythm frowned and turned away from Dr. Light and saw Mega Man frowning.  
  
"Rhythm…" Mega Man spoke "It will be hard for you…"  
  
 _Y-you think I don’t know that? E-everyday is going to be a s-struggle for me. I-I can’t be like you nor Bass… I-I’ll be the one who was h-held back d-due to a fate that wasn’t my d-deciding.  
  
_ "Then why won’t you start from square one?" Dr. Light asked "You have the opportunity to start all over again, why don’t you take it?"  
  
Rhythm remained quiet. The tablet his system was connected to displayed only an ellipsis for a about thirty seconds before dictating its response.  
  
 _I don’t want to die a-again…s-starting over w-would be r-reincarnation, which would be death.  
  
_ "So you’d rather die in the future because of your weaknesses rather than die now to be a better robot?"  
  
 _I don’t want to live f-forever. N-nobody wants to live f-forever but robots are beings who can. Y-yet due to my c-conditions, I can never be as good as Mega Man or Bass. But I-I’ve experienced something that they haven’t. T-they haven’t been r-resurrected. They haven’t r-risen from the ashes to e-exist yet again. B-but with my r-revival, I-I am cursed with a knowledge no man or robot can b-bear to endure.  
  
_ _I don’t want to live f-forever, but I don’t want to die again.  
  
_ Rhythm rattled as the worlds displayed themselves onto the tablet. Roll also happened to notice a pool of liquid forming underneath Rhythm’s damaged eye.  
  
Dr. Light sighed "If that is your decision, so be it."  
  
He then began to resume with the repairs and the other three soon followed suit. After repairing the arm sockets, the arms were replaced and then his legs were removed to begin work in that area. A new song began to play on the player.  
  
 _"It's not time to make a change  
_ _Just relax, take it easy  
_ _You're still young, that's your fault"  
  
_ "Mega Man…" Dr. Light began.  
  
"Yes Dr. Light?"  
  
"During the time that you have been working with Dr. Wily, I’ve noticed that you have…changed."  
  
"Changed?" Mega Man asked "Is that bad?"  
  
"No, there is nothing inherently wrong with change, but I have noticed that you have become more acquainted with Dr. Wily”“Well… what’s the problem with that?"  
  
Dr. Light sighed deeply and rest his head on the work table "You know that I was gone for Heather’s funeral, right? Well when I was there, I heard rumors involving her death… rumors that involved a robot she made…"  
  
Rock and Roll tensed a bit upon hearing this statement.  
  
"W-what was the rumor dad?" Roll asked.  
  
"Someone suggested that a robot that she made was responsible for her death."  
  
Dr. Wily stumbled with his tool in surprise "WHAT?!"  
  
Dr. Light sadly nodded "Dr. Grey, a close friend of Heather, worried that the robot may have ended up associating himself with some Sniper Joes."  
  
"Well what do you think Tom?” Wily shouted.  
  
"I don’t want to think about it…" Dr. Light confessed "I’m just worried what it would mean for Tempo."  
  
 _T-Tempo?  
  
_ "Heather’s son" Rock explained before he turned to Dr. Light.  
  
"Have they found him yet?"  
  
Dr. Light shook his head "No, they haven’t, and I need to find him to carry out the rest of Heather’s Will." He then turned to Rock "That’s why I am worried about you being with Wily, I don’t want you turning on me."  
  
"Dr. Light, I would never turn against you. Wily would never be able to entice me to his side!"  
  
"Yeah!" Roll exclaimed "You could say that we kind of reformed him!"  
  
"That may be true, but no one can find out about this collaboration" Dr. Light responded "Our reputations would be compromised if that fact came out."  
  
"Then how can we be sure that Wily keeps his mouth shut?!" Mega Man asked.  
  
"Bass will take care of that" Roll spoke "And besides, it’s not like anyone is going to believe Wily anyway."  
  
Dr. Wily rolled his eyes as the leg sockets were finished up on Rhythm as the music continued.  
  
 _"How can I try to explain?  
_ _When I do he turns away again  
_ _It's always been the same, same old story  
_ _From the moment I could talk  
_ _I was ordered to listen  
_ _Now there's a way"  
  
_ "Dr. Light?" Mega Man began.  
  
"Yes Rock? What is it?"  
  
"Well…I’d like to possibly…go away for a bit."   
  
"Oh? How come?"  
  
"It's because…" Mega Man hesitated "It’s because I feel like I need to escape for a bit… mix it up a bit, have a change of scenery."  
  
"I’ve been feeling the same too" Roll added "I’d like to possibly go out on my own as well."  
  
Dr. Light looked at the two in confusion "You two want to leave for a while? What if Dr. Wily prepares another attack?"  
  
"Oh come on!" Dr. Wily complained as he turned to Dr. Light "Why do you have to be so paranoid?!"  
  
"Paranoid?! How many times have you tried to pull off your schemes? If Mega Man was gone, who would stop you from taking over?"  
  
"I would stop myself! If I even was able to succeed taking over, I’d be in control for a fleeting period of time! After that, things would probably return to as they once were!"  
  
"You don't know that!" Dr. Light shouted "Who knows what the world would be like if you succeeded in your plans and died soon afterwards?"  
  
"I don’t know, but I know it wouldn’t last…"  
  
Dr. Light grumbled as he finished repairing the leg socket and began to reattach Rhythm’s leg and Mega Man did the same. As the legs were finally connected, the music on the CD ended. Roll made her way to the player to change the CD while Dr. Light began to open up Rhythm’s chest.  
  
 _"Oh I just don't know where to begin  
_ _Though he says he'll wait forever  
_ _It's now or never"  
  
_ "Rhythm?" Dr. Wily began as he rested a hand on Rhythm’s torso "You doing well?"  
  
Rhythm nodded slightly.  
  
"We’re going to work on your torso and core now…this is an incredibly tense part of the operation. Whatever happens, please remain calm."  
  
 _Ok Dr. W-Wily. I’ll try my best not to panic.  
  
_ Dr. Light turned to Dr. Wily in confusion "Why did you tell him that?"  
  
"We had a situation when doing repairs to Rhythm’s head. He loses power when he can't hear. When we were giving him a temporary head, his energy drained rapidly and he would have his memory wiped if he lost all his power."  
  
"Why would shutting him down make him lose his memories?"  
  
"It’s because of the injuries he sustained all those years ago."  
  
Dr. Light only shrugged as he repositioned Rhythm’s totaled voice box to get a better view into his body.  
  
"Roll?" Mega Man asked "Could you get me the wire strippers? I need to prepare a wire."  
  
Roll left the work table as Mega Man stood at Rhythm’s feet while Dr. Wily and Dr. Light respectively worked on Rhythm’s right and left sides.  
  
"Having any issues Rhythm?" Mega Man asked.  
 _Nope, none w-whatsoever.  
  
"Accidents will happen_  
 _We only hit and run_  
 _He used to be your victim_  
 _Now you’re—"  
  
_ Suddenly, Rhythm’s eyed widened and he shook a bit.  
  
 _H-hello? W-why did the music stop?  
  
_ "What?" Rock asked as he made his way to the CD player and turned up the volume.  
  
 _"I don't want to hear it  
_ _'Cause I know what I've done"  
  
_ "There’s nothing wrong with the music Rhythm! It’s playing as loud as it can!" _  
  
I-Is s-someone there? I-I c-can’t h-hear a-anything!!!  
  
_ Dr. Wily dropped his tool and turned his attention to Rhythm’s tablet.  
  
-CHARGE_92%  
-CHARGE_90%  
-CHARGE_87%  
  
"HIS POWER IS DRAINING!" Wily shouted "I didn’t sever anything, what were you doing Tom?!"  
  
"Crap!" Light shouted "I cut the wrong wire!"  
  
"YOU SENILE IDIOT!!" Wily shouted "WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?"  
  
"I’M SORRY ALRIGHT!" Dr. Light yelled "THIS WORK ENVIRONMENT IS TOO TENSE FOR MY NERVES!"  
  
Mega Man groaned and rolled his eyes as he joined Roll to look for the wire strippers.  
  
"C’mon! We better find them or we’re gonna lose Rhythm!" Rock shouted.  
  
" **I KNOW!** " Roll replied "It’s not like these tools are well organized!"  
  
-CHARGE_79%  
  
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Wily shouted at Light.  
  
"MY HAND WAS SHAKING! IT WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE!"  
  
 _NOTAGAINNOTTAGAINNOTAGAIN!!!  
  
_ "Got it!” Roll shouted as she ran to Rhythm with the tool, but she tripped over Dr. Light’s leg and dropped the tool under a tool chest.  
  
-CHARGE_69%  
  
 _PLEASENOPLEASENOPLEASENOPLEASENOPLEASENOPLEASENOPLEASENO!!!  
  
_ Rock slid towards the chest and picked up the tool from underneath and rushed back to Rhythm.  
  
-CHARGE_64%  
  
"Give me that!" Dr. Light demanded, reaching for the tool.  
  
-CHARGE_59%  
  
"No way Dr. Light!" Rock shouted "I’ll take care of this myself!"  
  
Rock proceeded to find the severed wire and began stripping the ends.  
  
 _IDON’TWANTTODIEIDON’TWANTTODIEIDON’TWANTTODIEIDON’TWANTTODIE!!!!  
  
_ "Roll! Get me the electrical tape!" Rock shouted as he started twisting the wires together.  
  
-CHARGE_43%  
  
 _DADDY!!!!HELPME!!!IDON’TWANTTODIEAGAIN!!!!  
  
_ "Got it!” Roll cheered as she carefully dashed to the work table and placed the tape on the table.  
  
-CHARGE_37%  
  
A spark came from Rhythm’s torso as the electrical signal from the robot’s ears to his core.  
  
-CHARGE_40%_RECHARGING  
 _  
"I don't want to hear it  
_ _'Cause I know what I've  
_ _I know what I've  
_ _I know what I've done..."  
  
…I can h-hear again.  
  
_Mega Man began to lose his balance from the rush of robotic adrenaline racing through his system and collapse onto the floor. Roll stepped over her brother’s body and began taping up the wire.  
  
"GODDAMNIT TOM!" Dr. Wily shouted as he slammed his fist on the work table, sending tools flying in the air. “What has gotten into you all of a sudden! Why do you have to suddenly slip up like that?!"  
  
"Don’t you dare try pinning this on me Albert!" Dr. Light shouted "Working here isn’t the best environment! Being in here makes me feel like I have to stay alert if Bass or some other deranged project of yours is going to come after me! Maybe you sent him off to my lab to spy or steal something!"  
  
"Well I _was_ at your lab doc…" Said a voice from the workshop doorway "and you wouldn’t believe what I found!"  
  
Everyone in the lab turned to the doorway and saw Bass wearing his full armor and a scowl. He aimed his right arm at Dr. Light, which was charged at full strength. On his left shoulder was the limp figure of a body facing away from everyone else. Mega Man engaged his own arm cannon and aimed it at Bass.  
  
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!”"Mega Man shouted "WHO IS THAT ON YOUR SHOULDER?!"  
  
Bass simply smirked as he rested the figure against the wall by the doorway. His grey body had wires protruding out of a cavity, and his red arm cannon appeared to be smashed with some unknown implement. A black trench coat covered the figures face, but Bass removed it with a flair of gusto to reveal that the figure wore a yellow scarf and a black visor attached to his red helmet.  
  
"P-Proto Man…" Roll quietly spoke.  
  
"BLUES!!!" Rock shouted as he started to charge his cannon "Listen Bass, you've got ten seconds to tell me what you did to Blues before I shoot that smirk off your slimy little face!"  
  
Bass chuckled sadistically and crossed his arms "Rock…I didn’t do any of this! I found him like this at Dr. Light’s!"  
  
"THEN WHO DID THIS?!" Rock screamed.  
  
A weary groan came from the damaged Proto Man, he began to raise up his arm and pointed away from Bass.  
  
"Roll…' He spoke.  
  
"ME?!” Roll shouted "You’re out of your mind!"  
  
Blues shook his head "No…not you…Roll… please move…"  
  
Roll stepped out of the way, and Blues’s finger pointed at the two scientists.  
  
"Dr. Light…d-did this…"  
  
Blues’s arm collapsed as he lost the rest of his energy. Everyone’s glances slowly turned to the astonished Dr. Light. Roll cupped her hands over her mouth, Rock seethed, Bass smirked, Rhythm shook, and Dr. Wily just had his jaw hang from his mouth.  
  
Mega Man tightened his fist as his arm cannon began to tremble and shake.


	18. Chapter 18

“This is messed up. I'm all for being evil, but this is just overkill”  
-Bowser  
  
"Rock! You seriously can't believe Bass!" Dr. Light argued "He must have attacked Proto himself and is trying to pin the crime on me!"  
  
"Then why did Bass point at you?!" Rock shouted, trying to understand what was going on  
  
"Proto told me everything…" Bass spoke "I found him in Dr. Light’s closet. When I broke in, I was worried that Rush possibly attacking me. When I made my way to his dog bed, I noticed that he was shut off. He did growl at me when I turned him on, but when I told him I was looking for Blues, he led me to the body."  
  
"So t-that’s why Rush didn’t g-greet us last night…" Roll realized.  
  
Bass shrugged "I guess…Roll, get an E-tank from the kitchen? It will help Blues tell us what went down."  
  
Roll began to leave the room, but Dr. Light grabbed her wrist.  
  
"Roll…you don’t really b-believe that I could do this…do you?"  
  
"I don’t want to b-believe that you could do such a thing, but I have been s-surprised by h-humanity before" she replied as she broke out of Dr. Light’s grip to make her way into the kitchen.  
  
"Tom…" Dr. Wily spoke "Why would you do this to Blues?"  
  
"He attacked me!" Dr. Light shouted "S-something in him had gone wrong!"  
  
"I would believe that if it wasn’t for the fact that you didn’t tell Rock about this!" Dr. Wily shouted "Why did you keep this a secret from him?!"  
  
"I didn’t want to s-shock him…" Dr. Light retorted.  
  
"Then why did you turn Rush off?!" Rock shouted "Why would you try to completely hide Blues from me?! You know that I’ve been meaning to talk to him!"  
  
Roll ran back from the kitchen and made her way to Blues to pour the E-tank into his mouth. The liquid dribbled a little down his lips but he soon began to regain his energy.  
  
"Blues…" Roll began, shuddering out of confusion "Tell us w-what happened."  
  
"I went to Dr. Light's y-yesterday around six o’clock" Proto Man began, his voice weary from his lack of power and stuttering due to his injuries “I wanted to talk to him about s-something I felt inside me that h-happened a few days ago. I also n-needed some E for m-myself. When I k-knocked on the door, I was s-surprised to find that Dr. Light was there with his l-luggage strewn about the entryway. He led me inside and took me to his lab and asked me what I wanted a-analyzed. I t-told him my concerns and he began to open my chest up. He began using s-soldering irons and electrical i-implements in me, when I suddenly felt a great pain in my chest. He was t-trying to ruin my interior."  
  
Mega Man’s eyes flared as he looked at Dr. Light.  
  
"I g-grabbed a sharp object off the work table in an effort to r-retaliate but all I did was cut his hand. After that, I b-blacked. The next thing I remembered was waking up in a closet with Bass feeding me an E-tank and Rush licking my hand. He then dragged me to one of Dr. Light's vehicles, hot-wired it, and then took me here."  
  
"Dr. L-Light?" Rock stuttered "Why w-would you do such a thing?"  
  
"You heard what he said!" Dr. Light shouted "He just c-confessed in attacking me when I was fixing him!"  
  
"We can all see the internal damage that you did to Proto, Tom" Dr. Wily spoke, unimpressed by the excuses "Your alibi is falling apart…"  
  
"W-wait a minute!" Roll exclaimed "I am w-willing to believe that you were worried if Proto Man was attacking you… b-but why did you arrive home at a time e-earlier than you told us?"  
  
"I…I…I" Dr. Light stuttered. He tried to come up with an explanation but the words failed to come out of his mouth. As he mumbled, Rhythm’s attention focused on Blues and he tried to reach for him. He looked like his eyes were about to water.  
  
 _F-father?  
  
_ "Huh?" Blues mumbled "Y-you t-talking to me?"  
  
 _Y-yes… d-don’t you remember?  
  
_ "Father?!" Roll asked aloud, catching the attention of Dr. Wily.  
  
"Father?! Roll, what are you talking about?!" Dr. Wily asked.  
  
Roll picked up Rhythm’s tablet and handed it to Dr. Wily.  
  
"Bass," Dr. Wily spoke "Bring Proto Man here…"  
  
Bass stared at Dr. Wily as he picked up Blues and took him over to the work table. Rhythm’s hand reached out and grabbed Blues’s red hand.  
  
 _D-Dad… d-don’t you r-r-remember me?  
  
_ "I-I….I don’t know what you’re t-talking about…I don’t know you… w-we’ve never m-met before."  
  
 _O-Of course you k-know me! You’re m-my father! If I couldn’t r-remember your face, I-I'd still be able to r-recognize you. You m-made me. I was to be y-your son. You took me to the M-Modern Mansion, r-remember?  
  
_ "I…I don’t know y-you… w-we’ve never met"  
  
Bass then peeked into Rhythm and prodded into his chest with his finger to look at his memory bank. He got good look again at the inscription on it.  
  
THE PROTOMETHEUS'S PROMETHEUS  
  
"The PROTOmetheus's Prometheus” Bass stated "The prototype's creation. Proto Man made Rhythm. But if you made Rhythm, why didn't you recognize him when I showed him to you those nights ago?”  
  
Mega Man turned to Bass. "YOU MET WITH P-PROTO MAN AND DIDN'T TELL ME?!"  
  
"I WANTED TO RESPECT PROTO MAN’S REQUESTS, ALRIGHT?!” Bass shouted.  
  
Suddenly, Dr. Wily left the lab and dashed to his office.  
  
"HEY! Where you going?!" Bass shouted.  
  
The group heard the sounds of Dr. Wily rummaging around before he returned with a flash drive attached to a ball chain.  
  
"What’s that?" Bass asked.  
  
"It’s part of Proto’s memories" Dr. Wily explained as he detached the drive from the chain "Years ago, sometime after I was first defeated by Mega Man, I happened to find Proto Man nearly dead in the outskirts between Olive and the city. I took him in converted his solar power system into a nuclear one, and began to turn him into Break Man. In an attempt to make him more subservient, I removed most of his memories. I saved that information in this flash drive for all these years."  
  
"Have you ever looked at the i-information?" Roll asked.  
  
Dr. Wily shook his head "No. If memories are removed from a robot, only the robot of origin can read the data.He then inserted the USB into Proto Man’s chest, causing the robot’s eyes to light up. His body arched and a rush of energy flowed through his body.  
  
"AHHH!!!!"  
  
A spark came from Proto’s open chest, his body went limp as before but was still alive.  
  
 _D-daddy? D-do you r-remember?  
  
_ Proto Man began to rub his head "I…I…remember. My core was weak…I feared it would break down and that I would die. I made a robot… and treated him like a son. He was built to c-continue my legacy…A legacy of free will and opportunity."  
  
He began to shudder as the chain of memories started to click together.  
  
"I remember t-the Modern Mansion. I-I wanted to s-show my son off…I-I wanted t-to show that I was proud n-not only of what I m-made, b-but of who my son became. H-he was meant to be a model for robots to b-become in the future. W-we separated. I-I let him roam free on his own to e-explore the mansion. W-when I went to look for him…h-he had vanished. E-everyone I asked d-didn’t know where he was. I-I checked everywhere, from the servant’s quarters down to the basement…. T-the next morning…I put up missing posters. I-I tried the police but t-they refused to even look for lost robots…I-I listened to the news and visited the m-mansion night after night, hoping for a sign of m-my little boy bot…T-the days turned into weeks, a-and then the weeks began turning into months…I-I k-kept hoping…I-I wanted some sign that would tell me t-that he would return. T-the situation wore down my core… I-I knew my time was short… I began wandering t-the wasteland between the home I raised Rhythm in, Olive, and the city. I became nomadic… and one night, one dark and quiet night, I gave up my hunt for my l-lost boy…w-when I collapsed into the mud."  
  
Rock, Roll, Bass, Rhythm, and even Dr. Wily all stared in shock as Blues recited his previously lost memories.  
  
"Do you remember anything after that?" Dr. Wily asked.Blues slowly nodded "I remember being turned back on. Something new was in me, but I felt like I had just been turned on for the very first time" He then turned to Wily "You called me Break Man…"  
  
"Break Man" Mega Man echoed.  
  
"Proto…" Bass began "At the Mansion, do you remember who was there?"  
  
"I do… Heather was there. She had a keen interest in Rhythm when the two met…she told me that she wanted to m-make a robot just like him. So was Dr. Cossack, but he never met Rhythm."  
  
"Blues," Rock started to speak "Was Dr. Light there when you were at the Modern Mansion that fateful day?"  
  
Proto took a deep breath and then slowly nodded "Yes. Dr. Light was there…"  
  
All eyes turned to Dr. Light, who had hung his head in shame and guilt in the corner Bass walked up to him.  
  
"Dr. Light… you wanted Rhythm to start over, so he could forget...forget the crimes that you did to him, forget any connection he had withy ou. Cutting Rhythm’s sound sensors was not a mistake then, wasn’t it?! You wanted to erase the last shred of evidence!" Rock shouted. "You were trying to kill him, weren’t you?!"  
  
Dr. Light ashamedly nodded.  
  
"Dr. Light…" Bass began, speaking in a stern tone "Did you kill Rhythm? Did you kill the son of Proto Man all those years ago?"  
  
Dr. Light let out a deep sigh "I d-didn’t kill him…"  
  
"The evidence is against you Tom…" Dr. Wily groaned "Even _I_ own up to my villainy."  
  
"I said I d-didn’t kill him!" Dr. Light shouted, his voice trembling "but I did leave Rhythm…to die."  
  
Rhythm felt a shiver through his system and closed his eyes as the words stung his memory banks.  
  
"Dad…" Rock began, unsure of how to feel "How did you do it…w-why did you do it?!"  
  
Dr. Light took a deep breath. "When Proto Man was originally made he ran off before his core could be stabilized, a problem that Dr. Wily eventually solved. At some point before I built Mega Man, I went to a convention at the Modern Mansion and saw that Proto Man was there, and I also saw Rhythm."  
  
"How did you find out the two were c-connected?" Roll asked as she walked to Rock and held his hand.  
  
"Heather approached them at first. She was enamored by the two and was also impressed that Proto was able to fix his own flaws and improve on his creator's work. I grew jealous… seeing Heather adore Proto and Rhythm made me feel like I was belittled…there was also the fact that back then I wasn’t as respectful to machines as I am now."  
  
"So you resolved to get rid of Rhythm?" Dr. Wily asked.  
  
Dr. Light nodded "Yes, I did…"  
  
"How did y-you do it?" Proto asked "H-how did you kill Rhythm?"  
  
"It began when I found an opportunity to remove Rhythm from public view" Dr. Light began, his voice without pride nor warmth. "At some point, you allowed Rhythm to explore by himself and that’s when I caught up to him. I introduced myself and we went to the gymnasium and I asked him to show his strengths, like using his arm cannon. After about an hour, he had used up most of his energy and I took him down to the cellar to prepare what was intended to be his final resting place.”  
  
Rhythm rattled a bit as Dr. Light recollection made the images of the event flash in his mind.  
  
"Using tools I found in the basement I pried into his system and began to sabotage his components, I even tore one of his arms off. I then put his body into an unfinished fireplace and used bricks and mortar that were in the basement to seal him away for good."

_D-do you r-remember a-anything about me? D-did I say a-anything?  
  
_ "You pleaded for Proto as I hurt you. You shouted and screamed before I disabled your voice box. Before that however, you spoke of ideas that were radical back then. You said that robots should be able think for themselves and that robots and humans should live in harmony and not have one rule over the other. Your mental independence was greater than that of Proto Man’s."  
  
Dr. Light then covered his hands with his face. Mega Man and Roll just stared at Dr. Light in fear.  
  
"Is this…" Rock began "Is this the real you?"  
  
"I’ve changed!" Dr. Light shouted "I’m not the same man I was back then! I’ve helped the world! I’ve made you and Roll! I’ve worked to help improve human-robot relations!"  
  
"But you still killed Rhythm!" Bass shouted "All your good deeds don’t hide the fact that you did this to Rhythm! You may have repented but apologizing won’t fix the damage you have done to him! He will never be the same because of you! Did you try to disable Proto Man to hide what you did?"  
  
"Yes! Yes I did! When Mega Man told me about the robot you found, I realized that the skeleton that I locked away so long ago had gotten out of the closet. And when I found out that Rock and Roll were working with you, I was worried that they had changed for the worse."  
  
"But can’t you see that things have changed for the better?!" Bass shouted "If it wasn't for Rhythm, neither Mega Man nor you would be able to work together with me and Dr. Wily. If it wasn't for Rhythm, we wouldn't have realized the pointlessness of some of our desires. If it wasn't for Rhythm, I would still be a self centered prick!"  
  
"At least you admit it" Dr. Wily jabbed.  
  
Bass groaned and returned to berating Dr. Light.  
  
"Dr. Light, if you hadn’t killed Rhythm all those years ago, you might not have had the feuds you have had with Dr. Wily! The world for robots and humans could possibly be better than they are now!"  
  
"Well in that case, if Rhythm wasn’t killed, you might have never existed!" Dr. Light retorted, which silenced Bass "If I didn’t kill Rhythm; you, Rock, and Roll might have possibly not existed!"  
  
Bass then turned to Rhythm "Bro! Listen to me! Dr. Light murdered you! He’s the reason you are like you are now What do you think of him?! Do you hate him? Do you despise him?"  
  
Rhythm’s lips quivered as his tablet tried to form his response.  
  
 _I-I hate that he did w-what he did to me. I hate that he t-thought of me as n-nothing more than a m-machine. B-but I don’t hate him…I-I don’t fear him…n-nothing in my s-system can make me h-hate Dr. Light. B-but I will n-never f-forgive what he did to me…  
  
_ Bass slammed the worktable and stormed off into his room to let out his angered emotions.  
  
"Rhythm, why don’t you hate Dr. Light?" Dr. Wily asked in confusion "Even after all that he’s done you… can’t hate him?"  
  
Rhythm touched the gem in his chest.  
  
 _The part of me that w-would hate him… is m-missing.  
  
_ The room became silent, save for Bass’s aggravated and incoherent rants in the other room.  
  
 _I have a q-question.  
  
_ "*sniff* W-What is it Rhythm?" Roll asked as she wiped away a tear.  
  
Why d-do you keep c-calling my dad P-Proto Man? The name d-doesn’t match the face I remember.  
  
"Proto Man was originally known as Blues" Dr. Light explained "That’s the name he was built with."  
  
 _Yes…B-Blues...that was dad's name.  
  
_ Rhythm then got up off of the table and hugged Blues.  
  
 _D-daddy…  
  
_ "S-son" Proto Man spoke as he hugged Rhythm. They cried as they embraced, their tears falling onto the floor.   
  
"Rock?"  
  
"Yes Blues?"  
  
"Could y-you let us be for a bit? I-I want to be alone with him for a bit."  
  
Mega Man nodded and began to leave the room with Roll, Dr. Light, and Dr. Wily.  
  
 _R-Roll?  
  
_ Roll paused "Yes Rhythm?"  
  
 _C-could you put a new CD on b-before you leave?  
  
_ Roll nodded and made her way to the CD selection and put a new disc in the player. She pressed shuffle and then play before she left the room to let the father and son reunite in private.  
  
 _"I'll tip my hat to the new constitution  
_ _Take a bow for the new revolution  
_ _Smile and grin at the change all around  
_ _pickup my guitar and play  
_ _just like yesterday  
and I’ll get on my knees and pray  
_ _we don’t get fooled again"_


End file.
